Emptied Life
by Apple Snapple
Summary: Mukahi Gakuto had always wondered what would happen if he had suddenly disappeared one day. Well, nothing good really came out of it. //dirty pair
1. Home

Title: Emptied Life

Pairing: Dirty Pair, some Silver Pair, Sweet Pair, and Platinum. I might add some others later.

Genre: Drama/Romance

I have decided that this story will be the best one I will ever write, because I'm going to put in lots and lots of effort into it and like, thrice check it each time. Because I feel like it. So meh. XD

And no, I will never own Prince of Tennis. Ever.

* * *

"_In my nightmares, I'm always the coward who runs away."_

…

Mukahi Gakuto breathed in the fresh, misty air that was all around him, and enjoyed the warm breeze that was coming at him. Summer was his favorite season, because it was the warmest time of the year, and the wettest. It had been so long ago since he had been on this strange, small island, and he had missed it. It had been three years. Three long years, and yet he had come back once again.

Any normal human would wonder why he had taken the ridiculously big chance of coming back. It was too much of a risk, and yet Mukahi was the only person alive stupid and headstrong enough to do it. Maybe it was personality and hormone issues. He didn't care. He had come back to get something done. He didn't care if that happened to him, because all he had to do was tell his friends the truth.

Tell them the truth. Tell them why he had disappeared without a word, without even saying goodbye to them all.

The problem was, he didn't exactly know _how._

It had seemed easy at first. All he had to do was barge into Atobe's mansion, unnoticed and rant at them for oh, say, about twenty minutes, and then leave it at that. But now he was just moments away from confronting them, and he didn't think he could make it.

"I'm seriously a big fool. I mean, what do I expect from them anyways?" the red head muttered to himself, shaking his head.

He eyed Atobe's tall, luxurious mansion and smiled. "That guy probably hasn't changed a bit since the last time I saw him."

As he approached the big double doors that were looming over him, he could feel his heart beating faster and faster. Really, what was wrong with him? He had planned this confrontation for months, and yet he still felt nervous.

One of the two guards noticed him. "Name?" he asked, face unperturbed.

"Mukahi Gakuto, one of Atobe Keigo's former teammates from Hyoutei's tennis club," Mukahi answered immediately.

"Your business here?"

Mukahi shrugged. "Just visiting."

The guard eyed him suspiciously. "Wait here. We'll inform Atobe-sama of your arrival."

…

"Atobe, stop looking at yourself in the mirror and just tell us why we're here already," Shishido grumbled. He really didn't appreciate being dragged from his house at 8 o' clock in the morning just because Atobe decided to give out another speech. And on the last day of summer, no less. "If you aren't going to tell us then we'll leave."

"Shishido-san, you shouldn't be so mean," Ootori said, looking worried. "It might be something important."

"Actually, Ore-sama has found an interesting piece of information that I'd like to share with all of you," Atobe replied, never taking his eyes off the mirror that was on the table in front of him.

Shishido waited. Atobe didn't say anything after that, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Go on, we're listening."

Atobe didn't reply back immediately. He continued examining his face and hair for about a minute or two before looking up. "Are you sure you all want to hear of this? It might be quite a shock to you all, ne, Kabaji?"

"Usu," the tall boy answered.

"Atobe, spit it out already, or I'll take your guts and sell them at the fish market," Shishido growled.

"Shishido-senpai, it's not good for you to get so uptight on the last day of summer," Hiyoshi cut in. "Calm down a little. You haven't been calm ever since Mu-"

"Don't you dare say his name." Shishido was glaring at Hiyoshi now. "One more word out of you and I'll hate you as much as I hate Atobe."

"Gekokujou…" was all the reply that he got.

Atobe coughed a little before resuming his little speech. "As Ore-sama was saying-" he was interrupted by the phone. Shishido rolled his eyes at this sudden interruption and Atobe ignored him as he reached for the ringing object. "Yes? What is the matter?" He listened for a few moments before nodding. "Ore-sama understands. Send him up right away."

As Atobe placed the phone back onto its receiver he smiled. "Well, speak of the devil." He chuckled a little.

"Who was that?" Shishido demanded, clearly losing his patience.

Atobe smiled even more. "Apparently our missing red-headed acrobatics player has decided to come and play."

"…Say what?"

And all the while Jirou was still sleeping on the couch, the same sloppy grin plastered on his face.

…

The hallway around him was filled with valuable and priceless items, and yet Mukahi ignored them. He couldn't not when he was this nervous. Really, what had possessed him to come flying over all the way from Malaysia? He had spent eight freaking hours in a plane, and what for? To come bursting in Atobe's mansion, rant about his problems, and then just leave?

Mukahi had to admit, he had problems. Especially with his mind.

Shishido was right three years ago. He _was_ stupid.

But it was too late to turn back now. Mukahi something he had to do, and he would make sure that he'd finish it.

Or…not.

"Atobe-sama, the guest has arrived," the butler announced, opening the door.

Mukahi kept his eyes fixed to the ground, not wanting to look up. Of course, he knew he had to look up eventually, but right now he was too afraid to. He imagined the looks on their faces; surprise, probably, and shock. Maybe even hatred, or anger, on Shishido's part. He took a deep breath and raised his head slowly.

His eyes scanned the room quickly. He was right; Shishido was glaring at him as if he was the devil himself. Ootori looked surprised and shocked, but he could see a slight look of happiness in his eyes. Atobe was smirking like always, and Kabaji just stood there, unmoving, motionless. At least that guy hadn't changed at all while he was away. Jirou was sleeping on the couch, just like before.

Hiyoshi was there too, reading a book. At least, he was, until Mukahi barged into the room. As he looked up his eyes were the same, as if he wasn't surprised at all about the mere fact that the boy who had disappeared for three years had come back.

It was Atobe who broke the silence first. "Well, look who we have here. Ore-sama was not expecting such a visit at this early in the morning."

Shishido glared at him. "And I wasn't expecting to be hauled out of my bed this early in the morning either, Atobe."

Atobe waved his hand in a shushing motion at Shishido's direction. "So, Gakuto, what brings you to town all of a sudden?" He was acting as if Mukahi hadn't really disappeared off the face of the earth; that his visit to Japan was to be expected. Really, Atobe acted as if he expected everything, and nothing could surprise him.

Mukahi shrugged, trying to look as if he wasn't on the brink of a nervous breakdown. "I came back," he said.

Shishido rolled his eyes and made a face. "The kid says 'he's come back'. Oh, lovely way to start up a conversation, isn't it? After what, three long years, and we weren't even informed you were going to leave until we were notified by the principal. Real courteous of you, Gakuto."

Mukahi tried to keep his cool. He knew that this was going to happen; Shishido was sometimes so predictable. He didn't blame him, really. It was he who had left so suddenly; he didn't even bother to say goodbye. "Well, my stay here in Japan is permanent. I'm not going to be leaving anymore."

Shishido shook his head. "And how are you expecting us to react to this? Go down on our knees and say 'Gakuto!! Don't leave us again, do you hear? Or else we won't forgive you!' or some other crap, probably."

"You don't have to be so bitchy about this, you know," Mukahi said, wincing at Shishido's melodramatic voice.

"Oh, _I_ don't have to be so bitchy about this, right? Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Shishido suddenly stood up.

"Shishido-san!" Ootori said, taking Shishido's arm and preventing him from moving any further. "Can't we just talk this over quietly?"

"Choutaro, don't you get it?!" Shishido shouted. "_He's _the one who left us all those years ago without even _telling_ us. He just upped and left, just like that. He threw us away like _trash_, and yet you're still being nice to him!"

"Ore-sama does not appreciate such rude behavior to our guest," Atobe reprimanded from his seat.

Mukahi frowned a little at this. He was just guest, not a friend anymore. Not to any of them, anyway.

Which was to be expected. Really, Mukahi didn't blame them. He didn't blame them at all. It was then that he noticed the missing person that was supposed to be here. "Where's Yuushi?" he asked.

Shishido rolled his eyes for the third time. "Oh, brilliant, now he's asking where his beloved Yuushi has gone off to. I guess that's the only thing he cares about right now, just Yuushi. Yuushi this, Yuushi that, blah blah blah."

"No, seriously, where is he?" Mukahi's voice was rising. "Did something happen to him while I was away?"

"'Did something happen to him while I was away?'," Shishido mimicked.

"You shut up!" Mukahi snapped, glaring at Shishido. "You don't even know the reason why I left!"

"Which is exactly the reason why I'm so mad at you right now!" Shishido snapped back. "After all, you just disappeared out of thin air. Who _wouldn't_ be worried. You never bothered to tell us. Well, that _clearly_ shows me the friendship we had all those years ago; it was nothing to you, nothing at all."

"Oshitari-senpai didn't make it to the meeting today," Hiyoshi called out, never looking up from his book.

"Well no shit he didn't make it to the meeting, he har-"

"That's enough, Shishido!" Atobe said firmly. Ore-sama demands that you get your attitude straightened out, or I'll be forced to kick you out of the regulars!"

"Eh? You've gotten into the regulars now?" Mukahi asked. "That's pretty good."

Shishido let out a bitter chuckle. "Don't underestimate me so easily, _shorty_," he said, sitting back down. Ootori, seeing that the argument was settled for now at least, sat back down with him.

It was then that Mukahi noticed how tall everyone had become. Of course, Ootori didn't really grow that much, maybe about one or two centimeters. Shishido had grown a lot, and now he wasn't really that much shorter than Ootori now. Hiyoshi had grown some too, and so had Atobe.

Okay. Mukahi felt really short now. He himself had only managed to grow about six centimeters in the last three years.

"So what if I'm short?" Mukahi muttered. "Anyways, what high school do you guys go to now?"

It was Ootori who answered. "Fukagawa High."

"Really?" Mukahi gave a little smile. "I'm going there too. What a coincidence."

Shishido stared. "Oh, so now you're stalking?"

Mukahi frowned. "No, I just _happened_ to enroll in the same school as you guys."

"Ah? So your parents didn't enroll you?" Atobe asked, raising his eyebrows.

Mukahi shook his head. "No, I did it myself."

Atobe gave him a suspicious look, fiddling with his glass of iced tea. "That is so…out of character for your parents. Don't your parents usually plan out your life for you? And to think that they would allow their son to run away from home."

Shishido shot Atobe a questioning look. "Atobe, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Ah, Ore-sama was about to explain until Gakuto showed up. Ore-sama has found out some information regarding to Gakuto's disappearance. Apparently, his parents stayed in Japan while Gakuto was somewhere out in the world. Even his parents didn't know his whereabouts. Basically, he went alone."

Mukahi winced. _Damn him and his stupid nosy attitude._ "Yeah, I went to Malaysia, so what? It's not that big of a deal, I've been on an airplane by myself before."

Shishido looked shocked. "You went all the way to _Malaysia_?"

_Oops._ "Yeah…I did, why?"

"And your parents didn't even _know_?"

"Uh…no, they didn't." Shishido looked at him strangely, and he added hurriedly, "But they do know I've come back. Man, you should've seen them. They were yelling at me like crazy."

"And do you care to enlighten us by what has been going on these past few years?" Atobe asked.

Mukahi paused, then shook his head. "Sorry guys, I have to go now. I'll tell you all…someday, I guess." He turned towards the door, and as he went past Atobe he bent down and whispered something into his ear. Atobe's eyes widened slightly and he frowned, a confused look clearly plastered onto his face. Mukahi, looking satisfied, straightened back and walked out of the room.

"That was…enlightening," Atobe commented after Mukahi had left, the said boy's words ringing in his head.

It was then that Jirou had decided to wake up. As he rubbed his eyes he looked about the room. "Eh? Shi-kun, why do you look so mad? Kei-chan, what happened?"

"Apparently Gakuto decided to pay us a little visit today," Atobe answered.

"Eh?! Really?! SUGEE, HE'S COME BACK?! But why didn't you wake me up?!"

Atobe didn't seem to hear. _What did he mean by that?_

…

"_Mukahi, we have something important to tell you." _

"_Don't baby him. He's an adult now, he can take whatever we have in store for him."_

…

"God, I'm such an idiot," Mukahi muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling of his small apartment. "I could've told them then, but I chickened out because I was too scared. Ugh."

Then an odd thought occurred to him. _Maybe I should just forget about telling them at all._ He shook his head.

_I already knew this was a one-way trip. There's no turning back now…_

…

For the first time in Atobe's life, he didn't know what he had to do. After Mukahi's sudden and startling appearance, and what he had whispered in his ear afterwards, he really didn't know what he had to do.

"_Ore-sama commands all of you only one thing. Don't mention Gakuto or anything about him to his parents," Atobe said, eyeing each of them carefully. "Do you all understand?"_

"_Why the fuc-" Shishido started._

"_No questions," Atobe snapped, pointing his finger at Shishido. "Do I make myself clear?"_

"…_Sure…"_

He really wished why Mukahi had made such a confusing request.

"_Whatever you do, don't mention anything about me to my parents, you hear? If you do all of you are going to be screwed for life. Got that? Tell that to everyone for me."_

Perhaps his parents were still upset about him going missing for three years, and Mukahi didn't want them to see his parents snapping. Maybe.

Atobe frowned. Something was not quite right…

He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something just wasn't right.

And it was seriously bugging him.

…

"_You never bothered to tell us."_

"_Well, that _clearly_ shows me the friendship we had all those years ago; it was nothing to you, nothing at all."_

…

Mukahi sighed, fiddling with his pillow. "They haven't changed a bit, have they?" he whispered to himself, lying on his bed.

Really, his comrades hadn't changed at all. Shishido was still as bitchy as before, and like always, Ootori would keep on trying to defend all his friends at once. Jirou was still sleeping as he was talking to everyone, and Kabaji just stood there, no expression on his face whatsoever.

Kabaji. He was the only one who didn't change; his height was still the same, and so was his personality. He was probably still saying 'usu' all the time too. Atobe still was a stupid, idiotic narcissist. Sometimes he hated that guy, with his knowing smirk and nosy attitude. Atobe just seemed to want to know _everything_, and he wasn't satisfied until he reached his goal.

"Stupid ass," Mukahi grumbled.

And then there was Hiyoshi, who couldn't care less. Mukahi bet he still wanted to 'gekokujou' Atobe or whatever, just like before.

He was lucky that everyone hadn't changed as much as he thought they would. It was still the same as before. Kind of.

He just wondered why Oshitari hadn't shown up that day. Mukahi shrugged. "He probably couldn't make it to Atobe's stupid meeting."

At least, that's what he hoped the issue was.

"At least meeting them wasn't that bad. Not as scary as it should've been…"

…

"Shishido-san, it might be best if you get some rest," Ootori said worriedly, watching Shishido stomp around the room. "We do have school tomorrow, you know."

They had been sharing a dorm ever since they started high school, all those years ago. Ootori could clearly remember the events as if they had happened just yesterday.

"_Choutaro, do you want to share a dorm with me?" Shishido asked._

"_Eh?"_

"_You know, cause I can't exactly pay for the whole rent, and so the dorm manager suggested that I find a roommate. I don't know anyone else to ask."_

"_O-okay."_

"That guy is a total jerkass," Shishido grumbled, still keeping up with his pace.

"Shishido-san!" Ootori reprimanded. "Don't be so mean! Mukahi-san might have a good reason for disappearing like that, you know."

"Fine. The guy's a jerkhead. Still, I won't be satisfied until he tells me why he ran off without even telling us."

"He might not be able to tell us," Ootori said quietly, looking at his hands.

"Whatever." Shishido sighed, finally settling down and sitting on his bed. "We have school tomorrow. Ick."

Ootori nodded, and waited for him to continue. But Shishido never did.

Not a word was passed between them when the lights were turned off.

As he lay there in his bed, his mind was constantly looking back at the day's events. Ootori had to admit, he was really surprised when Mukahi had made that sudden appearance. After three years, he had come back.

But not as surprised as he should have been. Because, in the back of his mind, somehow, he always knew Mukahi would come back.


	2. Changed

…

"_You're going to do what I say, and that's final!" _

"_The world doesn't revolve around you, you know!"_

"_You will do what I say!" _

…

"Ew," Mukahi said, making a face as his eyes scanned the schedule that he just got from the principal. "Why do I have History first? That doesn't make sense."

"Nor does you suddenly coming here and not telling us the reason why you left," Atobe said, coming up from behind.

"It's not like it'd make much difference," Mukahi muttered under his breath.

Atobe didn't seem to hear. "Ore-sama has been thinking about the request you gave me yesterday."

Mukahi waited. When Atobe didn't continue, he scowled a little. "Yeah?"

"Ore-sama has agreed to fulfill your request," Atobe started. Mukahi sighed with relief. "But only if you tell me the reason why you left."

Mukahi's breath caught in his throat. _Well no duhh he's going to ask that._ This was his chance to tell him. "Well--" He was interrupted by the bell. "Um, I'll tell you sometime later, okay?" he said as he turned around, jogging to his first class.

Atobe just shook his head, eyes never leaving Mukahi's retreating form.

_Something just isn't right…_

…

Mukahi's eyes scanned the room, trying to see if he recognized anyone. He gasped as he saw a red-headed person whom he recognized…

"Marui Bunta? What the heck are you doing over here?" he asked, walking towards the said boy's desk.

The red-headed tensai quickly turned around and stared. "Mukahi? What are you doing over here? I thought you like, moved away or something random."

"That's what I just asked you. Are Rikkai Dai people also in this school?"

Marui shook his head. "No, just me and Jackal."

"Wait…why?"

Marui grinned a bit. "I decided to follow Aku-chan, duhh!"

"…Huh?"

"Jirou!" Marui said, rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me you forgot about him!"

"…Why are you following him?" Mukahi asked, even more confused than before.

"Didn't he tell you?" Marui asked, looking at him quizzically.

"…No…" Something told him that he had missed something big. Really big.

"Ah, so he didn't tell…"

"OH MY GOSH IT'S MUKA-KUN!!" came a voice. Mukahi quickly turned around and was tackled by a person with brownish hair. "MUKA-KUN CAME BACK!! YAY!!"

Mukahi winced. "Uh, Jirou? Why are you in my history class?"

"I'M IN THE SAME CLASS AS BUN-CHAN, ISN'T IT GREAT?! YOU THINK SO TOO, RIGHT, RIGHT?"

"Uh…come again?"

"I'M IN THE SAME CLASS AS BUN-CHAN!!" Jirou exclaimed, waving his arms wildly in the air.

"…Huh?"

"MARUI-KUN!!" Jirou said impatiently, jumping up and down.

Mukahi looked at Marui, then at Jirou, and then back at Marui again. "I…have the feeling that I missed something really big while I was away…"

"BUN-CHAN AND I ARE GOING TO BE MARRIED, AND THEN WE'LL LIVE IN THIS REALLY BIG HOUSE AND IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY AWESOME!!"

Then it all finally made sense to him. "Oh…so _that's_ what's been going on. Jeez, no wonder you guys have all these weird nicknames for each other. Seriously."

"BUT HE'S BUN-CHAN!!" Jirou protested, eyes widening. "HE'S BUN-CHAN!!"

"…"

"Muka-kun, you look sad!"

"It's nothing…by the way, do you know where I can find Yuushi?"

"Eh?" Jirou cocked his head to one side. "Tari-kun? Don't you know?"

Mukahi looked at him strangely. "Don't I know what?"

"Tari-kun went to another school! Didn't anyone tell you?"

_He went to another school? _"No…no one told me. Actually, come to think of it, I never bothered to ask." He mentally smacked himself in the head. He had been meaning to ask, but he had forgot. He had just assumed that Oshitari would be going to the same school as the rest of the gang.

"Well, Tari-kun went to some school called Oedo High School or something. But that's okay! Unless," Jirou started to pout. "Unless you came back just to see Tari-kun…but that's not true, right?"

Mukahi didn't answer. He was too busy with his own thoughts to even realize that Jirou had asked him a question.

"Muka-kun?" Jirou looked at him curiously.

"Everyone in their seats, now!" came an rough, annoying voice.

Mukahi winced. "Great, History first thing in the morning and we have a bitchy teacher to top it all up. Real nice." He found a spot behind Marui, who was currently sitting next to Jirou. _Stupid Yuushi,_ he thought. _Why did he go to another school? That idiot._

Sometimes he hated the way his former doubles partner was so unpredictable. If Mukahi hadn't know any better, he'd think that Oshitari would've stayed with his team, and applied for the same school. _He's smart enough to come here, I mean, even _I_ made it in. _Unless, of course, Oshitari had a reason for going to Oedo. But that just didn't make any sense…

The teacher cleared his throat. "Now, we have a special guest speaker today. The student council president is here to give us a short speech. Everyone, please welcome Ishihara Kimiko."

Mukahi's eyes widened slightly at the name. _What? You've got to be kidding me._

The student council president came into the room and addressed the whole class with a simple nod. "Welcome, third years. I expect that you all have had an enjoyable summer break, am I correct?" she started in a cold voice. "Well, as this year's student council president, I'm here to inform you that…"

Mukahi shook his head, hoping the president wouldn't see him. _More paperwork…ugh._ He could feel himself going into panic mode.

He eyed Marui and Jirou, trying to distract himself from the president. Both of them looked content and happy. _I wish it were the same with me and Yuushi…_

But it couldn't be the same, because he hadn't talked to him for almost three years.

Mukahi shook his head again. _Why am I thinking about Yuushi right now? Gah…this is stupid._

…

The principal looked at him suspiciously. "But you just transferred here yesterday. Why are you asking me to allow you to go to Oedo High now?"

"No reason, really," Mukahi said, shrugging.

"I don't think I can allow you to transfer though," the principal said hesitantly.

"Well, Oedo's on a lower level than Fukagawa, so it's okay, right?" Mukahi asked.

"…Well, I suppose so. But really, why would you want to transfer? I mean, you've only been here a day."

"That's something for me to know, and you to find out," Mukahi answered, walking out the door. "See ya."

As he walked out of the principal's office he was stopped by a familiar looking person. "Atobe, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Atobe smirked. "Ore-sama could ask the same for you. Have you already gotten in trouble, ah?"

"Of course not. I'm not as stupid as Shishido, obviously."

"Ah, really now. Then what is one plus one, ah?"

"…One, duhh…"

"…Ore-sama sees that being in Malaysia has gotten to your head."

"Well then obviously being in Japan has gotten to Shishido's head," Mukahi retorted, glaring at him.

"I'm not as stupid as you, so shut up," Shishido snapped, coming up from behind. Ootori had also shown up.

Mukahi glared at him. "What are you, my mother? Jeez, you sound like you're going to give me a lecture or something."

"Actually, I am." Mukahi glared at him, and Shishido continued. "I mean, who wouldn't? You've been so _stupid_ lately. You won't even tell us what happened."

"Why should I?" Mukahi fumed. "I mean, it's not going to change anything at all, really."

"Yes it can," Shishido snapped. "You're probably just too stubborn to admit it or something."

"Whatever." Mukahi rolled his eyes.

"Ore-sama is curious though," Atobe said, interrupting the argument. "What were you doing in the principal's office?"

"…Transferring schools, what else?"

"What the fuck are you doing transferring schools?" Shishido demanded. "Didn't you just get here?"

"Yeah, well apparently something happened and I'm forced to transfer to Oedo now," Mukahi answered. He looked at Shishido's dumbstruck face and snorted. "Well? Speechless, are we not?"

Shishido glared at him. "I bet you're just going there just to see your beloved Yuushi," he said bitterly.

Mukahi was taken aback by the anger that he saw in his eyes. "Really, what's your problem? No, I'm not going there to see Yuushi. That would be stupid."

"What's _my _problem?" Shishido's voice was getting louder. "What's _my_ problem?! You're the one who's got the problem! I mean, we actually have a right to ask you what's been going on for the past three fricking years, but you just keep on pushing us away without even giving us an explanation! And you ask me what's _my_ problem?" He saw Mukahi opening his mouth and interrupted. "And it's obvious you came back just to see Oshitari. Don't deny it."

Mukahi breathed, trying to keep his cool. "So what if I came back to see him, huh?" he demanded. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course I have a problem with that!" Shishido snapped. "What are we to you? Do you only care about him now? Huh, is that it?"

"Of course not, I-" he was interrupted by Shishido who suddenly threw back his head and laughed.

"Don't lie to me, _Gakuto_. After all, don't you think you've been lying enough lately?" he said blithely.

"S-Shishido-san!"

Mukahi blinked, his throat clenching up into a lump. "Fine!" he muttered, turning around and heading for the school's exit.

Shishido shook his head and turned towards Atobe, confused. "You didn't stop the argument."

Atobe sighed. "Ore-sama really doesn't know what you have against him. That is all."

"Shishido-san, maybe we should be getting back to our dorm," Ootori said quietly.

Shishido turned towards Ootori and nodded. He turned back to Atobe. "You know the reason why I'm angry. At least, you should." He and Ootori walked away together, leaving Atobe behind.

…

"He's just stupid," Mukahi muttered, flipping through disorganized papers that were scattered across his desk. "He's always been this stupid, ever since middle school."

In all of Hyoutei, Shishido and Atobe were the people Mukahi hated the most. There were some times when he hated Shishido even more than Atobe, because Shishido would constantly tease him and ridicule him. Everyday during class Shishido would always be bitching about how stupid Mukahi was, or how illogical he had become. Sometimes, though, Mukahi had the satisfaction of being better than him, in subjects like chemistry and English.

Shishido was better than him at History, though, which happened to be one of Mukahi's most hated subjects. Whenever he had gotten a question right when Mukahi had gotten it wrong, he'd give him his 'I-just-beat-you' smirk. Mukahi hated it. Really, he did.

Shishido was short-tempered, and was a very impatient teammate. Unlike the other regulars, who were calm and collected, he would snap at anything Mukahi would say wrong. He also jumped to conclusions way too fast, and Atobe had given him a pep talk about it once. So, to Mukahi, it was perfectly normal that Shishido would be this angry at him. After all, he had prepared himself for the glares and arguments that would follow after his return.

Still, though, he felt angry with him. As this thought slowly began to dawn on him, he shook his head in disgust. "I don't know what I'm expecting from them. Am I expecting them to guess what my life is all about? Sometimes I really wished they knew, so there wouldn't be any secrets, but I can't. I'm so stupid, I can't even tell them a simple thing as that." He sighed, and gave up on trying to organize the mass of handouts and paperwork that were on his table.

The only thing he could hope now was for Oshitari to understand. The wish was big, and almost impossible to accomplish, but he hoped Oshitari could somehow read his mind and understand.

After all, it would be harder to tell Oshitari his secret. Much harder than telling any of the other regulars.

…

"_I still don't agree with this though!"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

…

Mukahi silently cheered to himself. English had ended up being his first class, and it was his favorite subject. When he was living in Malaysia, his English had improved drastically, so he knew he could pass the course easily, even if he slept through class.

The bad part about Oedo was that his classmates would end up being the same for all his classes, because Oedo High's system worked differently compared to Fukagawa. Fukagawa allowed students to migrate between classes, much like the American system in the United States. Oedo, however, still kept the traditional ways the Japanese had been using, so if Mukahi ended up with people he didn't like, he'd be screwed. Bad.

He shrugged. "At least it's only for one year."

Little did he know that with the classmates that he would end up getting, he would never want to change his schedule.

Mukahi actually hated being stuck in one classroom for the whole year, because there wasn't really any variety to his day. He was happy when he could move about between classes, even though the campus in Malaysia had been really big. Still, it was a change, and he could actually talk to people between passing periods.

Mukahi liked change, but only sometimes.

"Good morning class," the teacher said. "Today we have a new student. Please welcome Mukahi Gakuto into our class!"

Mukahi bowed. As he straightened he grinned. "Hi."

It was then that he saw him.

Oshitari Yuushi. Right there in front of him.

When Mukahi looked into his eyes, all he could see was…nothing. Nothing at all. That, with the fact that Oshitari was right smack in front of his eyes startled him, and he jumped a little.

Oshitari didn't even respond to his surprise; no smirk, nothing.

The teacher eyed Mukahi strangely. "Mukahi-san, are you okay?"

Mukahi nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Um, where do I sit?"

The teacher looked around. "Ah! You'll be sitting next to Niou Masaharu. Niou, raise your hand."

Mukahi scanned the room and found the boy sleeping on his desk. Apparently he hadn't heard the teacher at all, and was still snoring.

"Niou-san," the teacher began impatiently. "W-"

"It's okay," Mukahi cut in. "I know where he is." And he walked to the back of the classroom, and sat in the vacant seat that was next to Niou's.

"Mukahi-san," the teacher called out. "If you don't mind, since you're sitting all the way in the back, would you please recite the first three lines of the booklet that I just handed to you?"

Mukahi stared at the teacher. "What, the English one?"

The whole class burst into laughter.

The teacher nodded. "Yes, Mukahi-san, the English one, since we happen to be in English class right now."

Mukahi flipped through the book. "Wait, the first three lines of what? The first page?"

"Yes, Mukahi-san, the first page."

"Wait, you mean the cover or like, the page that has the number one on it?"

"…The page that has the number one on it, Mukahi-san."

By now the whole class was staring at him, and even Oshitari had turned around.

Mukahi smirked, and began reciting. **"There were two pearls that I had found, but I only took one of them. My father had asked me why I hadn't taken two, and I answered, 'Father, I'd rather leave the pearl for the next fellow who comes along. Who knows? Perhaps we might find each other one day and talk to each other about the great discoveries and adventures we had just to get to the pearl.' He scoffed at me, and said I was a great fool, because he believed that I would be the only one capable of going through such great lengths to get to the treasure.****"**

The whole class just stared at him, unblinking. Even Oshitari seemed surprised.

The teacher cleared her throat. "Mukahi-san…where did you learn how to speak English so well?"

"From school, I guess." Mukahi shrugged. "It wasn't really that hard. I mean, I was kind of required to speak it."

"Oh?" The teacher nodded. "So you were living in America then, am I correct?"

"Uh…sure?" Mukahi answered, sitting back down. He turned around to the person that was sitting next to him, wondering if he had woken up yet, and his breath caught into his throat.

The silver haired boy was staring at him with cold, hard eyes.

…

Mukahi was lingering around the art room, debating with himself on whether or not he should go in or not and say hi to Oshitari. He had followed him when lunch started and had been surprised when both he and Yagyuu had entered the room that was supposedly the room for the Literature and Poetry Club.

And now he was over there, standing around like an idiot. He hated how he always kept on debating with himself. Most of the time he could never come up with a conclusion and he ended up back where he started.

Somebody tapped on his shoulder. Mukahi turned around, and to his surprise he saw Niou, right behind him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Niou smirked. "I was about to ask you that same question, American boy."

Mukahi looked at him suspiciously. "Was that supposed to be a insult?"

"No."

"Well, I lied anyways. No, I didn't go to America, I actually went to Malaysia."

"Right…anyways, you were following Oshitari here, right?" Niou leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets.

Mukahi just stared at him. "How'd you know?"

Now Niou was staring. "Dude, you were staring at him like, all day, even through break."

"Oh…"

He shook his head. "Well, sorry to break it to you kid, but Oshitari's already with someone."

"Hey! It's not like I think of him _that_ way!"

"Oh yes you do," Niou said, rolling his eyes. "It's totally obvious. I mean, about half the class probably already knows by now."

Mukahi winced. Of course it wasn't true, people just had strange minds these days. "I don't, seriously."

"Oh?" Niou smirked, looking like he was up to something. "Then what if I told you that Oshitari and Yagyuu are together now? Are you still going to deny it?"

Mukahi looked back at the art room, then at Niou, back at the room, and then finally stared at Niou. "They aren't really, are they?" he finally asked.

Niou nodded. "They are."

Mukahi was silent. No, it couldn't be true. Of course it wasn't true; Oshitari wasn't with another person.

"The whole school knows about it right now," Niou began quietly. "They never denied it, not even once. Everyone agrees with it; they aren't even disgusted by the fact that they're two guys dating. They all unanimously support them, and I haven't met even one person who's against those two going out. It's creepy; it's like some spell was cast upon them or something."

Mukahi looked back at the classroom. "But…I don't see what's so great about those two together. I mean, they have like, nothing alike."

"Don't you get it? They're the _Gentlemen_ Pair. They're perfect for each other. They're two perfect people that are unreachable," Niou said impatiently. "They're famous. Everyone thinks they're a perfect couple. They're so similar to each other, they're flawless. There were so many names for them…perfect pair, twin pair, and even spectacles pair. Everyone said that they were soul mates, and no one argued with that statement. Not even the teachers. I mean, how many times in your life do you see that incident happening? Not that many."

Niou began to rant, but Mukahi didn't pay attention. He closed his eyes, feeling so many emotions pass through him. Hate, jealousy, anger, sadness, and even envy went through his heart.

Never in his life had he felt so heartbroken, or helpless.

They stared at each other for a while; minutes passed by without a sound.

It was Mukahi who broke the silence first. "And you?" he asked in a shaky breath.

Niou gave him a questioning look. "Me…what?"

"Don't you feel a bit troubled by this?" Mukahi gestured towards the art room. "I mean, Yagyuu's your doubles partner, right?"

"He's not my doubles partner anymore," Niou said gruffly, shaking his head. "We stopped being doubles partners in the middle of our first year in high school. Around the same time they got together."

Mukahi understood. "So Yuushi and Yagyuu are doubles partners right now?"

"Yeah."

Mukahi looked back at the room. He watched Oshitari and Yagyuu's movements; how it seemed both of them were in sync together. They had perfect coordination with each other; if Oshitari wanted a pencil Yagyuu would get it without him even having to ask. It was as if they had developed telepathy together, and they didn't need things to be spoken aloud to be understood. They were two gentlemen who had their own gentlemen ways, and they really looked like a perfect combo. It was just like what Niou had said. From this view, they _were_ a perfect pair. In just a few seconds, he understood what Niou had been talking about.

They were both two perfect people who had fallen in love with each other.

And Mukahi could do nothing to stop it.

He turned back to Niou again, and he could feel his throat form into a small lump. "I kind of envy Yagyuu, you know. I mean, he's everything that Yuushi ever wanted. Yuushi's comfortable talking to him, and they have this…strange connection between them."

Niou nodded. "And I envy Oshitari, because he's everything Yagyuu ever wanted." He smiled a little. "It's kind of weird, you know? We're two fucking jerks who got heartbroken, and they're two gentlemen who left us."

The lump in Mukahi's throat was getting bigger and bigger. "Maybe I do like him," he choked out. "But…I don't know."

"We should just leave them alone," Niou said, reading Mukahi's mind. They're probably happier without us interfering and stuff."

The pain in his throat and chest was excruciating. He stared at the ground, his breathing getting faster and faster.

"And so now you know," the other boy said, turning around and starting to walk away. He stopped, and tilted his head back towards Mukahi. "By the way, if you want, you can always share a dorm with me."

Mukahi looked at him suspiciously. "And why would I want to do that?"

Niou shrugged, turning his head back. "I live right across from Yagyuu and Oshitari. It's your choice, I'm just offering. Besides, I need a roommate."

"What, so you're telling me to stalk now?" Mukahi demanded.

"No. I'm telling you that you can quietly observe them at a distance, hoping for something that will never happen, like me. Or, you can be smart and go on with your life as if nothing happened." And he walked away, leaving Mukahi there alone.

Mukahi looked into the art room once more, observing Oshitari's every movement. Oshitari seemed happy, and his eyes had some sort of life now. Not like in English, when he had those cold, lifeless eyes. It seemed strange, how those two were so perfect together. They looked inseparable, and they matched. From what Mukahi could tell, they didn't argue at all, and had a pleasant time.

Yagyuu was everything he couldn't be, and everything he wanted to be.

It was just hopeless. Mukahi couldn't do anything right at all. He had come back to explain everything to everyone, but each time he got a chance he shirked away from the truth. Almost everything that came out of his mouth now were lies, and he didn't know how to reverse them.

He was caught in a web of lies, tangled in them with no way out.

Hell, he didn't even think he could breathe with the web around him now.

Nothing could never be the same again.

Nothing.

* * *

What did you all think of Chapter 2?


	3. Tutoring

Hey guys.

Fanfiction is being totally wacky and my special stars that I used to create a new scene don't come up anymore. So that means alot of my stories look weird now. I have to resort to using dots now. Ugh.

On a brighter side, here's Chapter 3!

* * *

"Everyone, let's welcome Mukahi Gakuto to our tennis club," Yukimura announced, smiling.

The tennis court became silent as Yukimura's announcement reached their ears. The red-headed acrobatics player from Hyoutei who had disappeared for three years had come back again. He, who had moved away right after Nationals came back. He, of course, knew people had inquired about him after he had left; why he wasn't playing tennis anymore, and why hadn't he been seen for such a long time. someone must've said something, and the news would've spread around like wildfire.

And now he was back. And here to stay for good.

He looked around the tennis courts, and wasn't surprised when he saw Oshitari and Yagyuu at their own little area, talking quietly and looking at him. He also caught a glimpse of Niou, who was seated on a bench not too far away from him, smirking.

"I guess you'll be playing one-set matches against some of our teammates for today," Yukimura said, disrupting the silence.

"He can be my doubles partner." Mukahi turned and saw the silver-haired boy still smirking. "Besides, Akaya's always wanted to play in singles, right?"

"Can I, Mura-buchou?" the said boy asked, jumping up and down. Kirihara had been sitting on a bench right across from Niou's but had gotten up when he overheard what Niou was saying.

"But then that means we'll have nine regulars on our team."

"Then you can get rid of Tanaka," Niou said carelessly, standing up. "Besides, the ranking matches are coming up for the new year, right?"

Yukimura thought a moment. "Well, perhaps he can be your doubles partner, but only if he can go through with the ranking matches."

"Yay!" Kirihara cheered. "I get to play in singles again!"

"Yay." Mukahi rolled his eyes. "I get to play doubles with a total jerkhead."

"At least it's better than playing singles. Singles is lonely," Niou retorted. "Besides, Oshitari's already Yagyuu's partner anyways."

Mukahi looked back over and his breath caught in his throat. Oshitari and Yagyuu had already begun playing and their form was…flawless. Their formation was perfect, and they worked well together. If Atobe was here even he would've been impressed by their flawless coordination.

"That's the Gentlemen Pair for you," Niou said, interrupting his thoughts. "They look perfect, don't they? They've never been beaten ever before."

Before he even knew what he was doing, Mukahi was nodding in agreement. It came naturally, especially when he watched the Oshitari-Yagyuu pair win every game. The opposing team hadn't even managed to score a single point yet.

"When we first came to this school, we have all these plans," Niou started. "Yagyuu and I, we planned to join the tennis team and play doubles. Our goal was to get to the regulars spot during our freshman year. It was a big goal, but we wanted to achieve it."

Mukahi looked up when Niou suddenly stopped. He jumped a little as he saw Niou glaring at the tennis court Oshitari and Yagyuu were playing in.

"And then he came," Niou continued, still staring at the tennis court. "Oshitari Yuushi, your old doubles partner. That jerk. He just suddenly came here one day and then Yagyuu started talking to him. After a while he stopped talking to me and all his time was spent hanging out with Oshitari. And then the bomb dropped."

"What…happened?"

Niou looked at him. "It was the beginning of our second semester. Yagyuu went to Yukimura-buchou and asked him if he could start playing doubles with Oshitari. I mean, he didn't even _ask_ me! Buchou told me later that day. Yagyuu didn't even tell me himself!"

Mukahi was silent. _So he ditched Niou for Yuushi._

"I mean, I would've understood better if he went up to me and told me himself. At least, I wouldn't have been this angry with him. After all, I already knew it was going to happen someday."

Mukahi looked at the courts, hearing the steady rhythm of the tennis ball being hit back and forth. _They're perfect. But why doesn't it feel right whenever I look at them as being perfect?_

…

…

…

The truth suddenly hit him. Hard.

"They aren't perfect," Mukahi breathed, in awe by the fact that he hadn't thought of this before. "They aren't perfect at all."

Niou looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?" he asked sharply.

"They aren't perfect," Mukahi repeated.

"Are you an idiot? They are perfect! They're so perfect they aren't even fucking human!"

"That's my point," Mukahi said. "They _aren't_ perfect."

"Well why not?" Niou demanded. "I mean, look at them!"

"It doesn't work. I mean, it's impossible. Yuushi's not perfect. He never was, and I don't think he ever will be. I think Yagyuu's the same too."

Niou could only stare.

"So that means they are reachable, right?" Mukahi asked. "Because they aren't perfect as individuals."

"_They're two perfect people that are unreachable."_

"They have flaws. Look at them."

And Niou looked.

For the first time ever, the Gentlemen Pair had lost a point.

"30-15!" the referee called out.

Perhaps the Gentlemen Pair wasn't so perfect as Niou had thought.

…

"The bathroom's over there, and we're in the living room," Niou said, pointing to different parts of his room. "Well, kind of. I don't know if you can actually it a living room, 'cause we kind of sleep here too. But whatever." He plopped down on a chair that was currently next to a small desk.

Mukahi looked around, and he looked at the strange…thing that was towering in front of him. "What's that?" he asked, pointing.

Niou looked at him as if he had grown two heads. "It's called a bunk bed. Haven't you seen one before?"

Mukahi looked at it again. "No, I don't think so."

"Whatever. I call top," Niou said, shaking his head.

"It looks scary." Mukahi shivered a bit. "I mean, what if the top bed like, caves in or something?"

Niou smirked. "That's why I called top."

"Hey!"

"You idiot, the top bed isn't going to fall down, I was just kidding."

"Oh…"

Niou climbed to the top bunk and plopped down onto the mattress, sighing. He closed his eyes, but opened them again. "By the way, are your parents okay with this?"

Mukahi sat down on his own mattress. "What do you mean?"

"Y'know. Rooming with me and all that junk. Weren't they worried?"

Mukahi shrugged. "They don't really worry that much about me."

"But aren't you their like, heir or something?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I can't room with people. Besides, I live too far away from this school as it is. They didn't really argue when I said I wanted a dorm."

Niou looked at him, eyes searching, filled with suspicion. "You're lying," he said finally. "I can see through it. Come to think of it, you look away a lot when you're lying. Oh, hey, you did it again."

Mukahi cursed his bad luck and bit his lip. "How do you know I look away only when I lie? I might be telling the truth."

Niou looked surprised. "Don't you know? People can't look into other people's eyes when they're lying. They like, look away or something. Didn't you learn that in like, science class a couple of years ago?"

Mukahi at that point really wished he could be like Oshitari, or even Atobe. He bet if anything, they could lie without people noticing. Then an odd thought struck him. "Wait, you learn this stuff in Science class?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Dude, I seriously wish people would teach you how to like, forge an ID or something. Isn't that more useful?"

Niou gave him a curious look. "Well, yeah, I supposed, but I don't think teachers would promote people to make fake ID's and travel around the world with a fake identity. Won't they get like, fired or something?" He closed his eyes again.

"But it would make people's lives' so much easier." His attention went to the desk, and his eyes focused on a photograph. "Hey, what's that?"

Niou popped one eye open. "What's what?"

"That photograph on your desk," Mukahi answered, gesturing. "Why is it so dusty?"

"Oh, that. It's nothing really, it was just some lame photo the team took on the last day of school."

"All of the regulars?"

A pause. "Yes, all of them."

…

_However, two had left, all because of him._

…

"It seems like Niou-kun has gotten a new roommate," Yagyuu observed, listening to the muffled sounds coming from the dorm across from theirs.

Oshitari looked up from his calculus homework and gave a silent nod. He turned back to his equations without even saying a word.

"You do know who his roommate is, I presume?" the gentleman inquired, cleaning his glasses.

"Of course I do," Oshitari replied, scribbling down some answers.

"Are you not interested in what is going to happen?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Yagyuu put his glasses back on and began flipping through his books. "I cannot be sure what is going to happen. After all, I'm not like Yanagi."

"Gakuto will be alright. He's been alright by himself for three years, off in some country. He will be fine."

"You have feelings for him, do you not?"

"Perhaps."

"You give me the same answer every time." Yagyuu stopped his shuffling. "But we've done a excellent job in acting, haven't we?"

"That we have."

…

"Atobe, why are we here again? You know I hate these stupid meetings you give out like, everyday. We never get anything done," Shishido complained, sitting on Atobe's fancy sofa that was currently behind a coffee table.

"You of all people should know why Ore-sama called you for this meeting. After all, _you_ were the most upset with Gakuto left, were you not?" Atobe took a sip of his tea.

"I was just pissed at him for leaving without saying anything. But of course, no one else seemed to be angry at him. Well, maybe Oshitari, just a little." Shishido rolled his eyes. "And I'm still mad at him. I mean, seriously, he just randomly changed high schools just so he could be close with his doubles partner again."

"But it was still quite a shock, was it not?" Atobe put down his cup of tea. "When he came back, that is."

"Well, it was a bit random," Ootori admitted. "But you didn't seem shocked, Atobe-san. Why?"

"Ore-sama thinks we shouldn't talk about what's already happened. What I want to know is _why_."

"Why what?" Hiyoshi asked, who was currently sitting on another chair, farther away from the group.

"Why Gakuto left," Atobe said impatiently. "Really, you have no brain. Ne, Kabaji?"

"Usu." Kabaji answered.

"Well he _obviously_ left without his parents knowing, that's for sure. Apparently they were 'mad as hell' at him or whatever," Shishido put in. "Didn't he say so a few days earlier?"

"That's what's been bothering Ore-sama." Atobe frowned, and got up. "He said that he left without even his parents knowing. Then he told us that he came back to Japan after three years, and met his parents. His parents were obviously angered at him, but that's where it gets confusing." He started pacing around the room.

"What do you mean?" Shishido inquired. "Uh, his parents got pissed. And?"

"Gakuto's parents aren't the type of parents who would just let their son walk around after he's disappeared for three years. He wouldn't be able to move freely. He'd have to have a sort of chaperone to keep him company, or his butler. But his parents didn't even give him a punishment. They even let him choose his school _by himself_."

"So…what are you proposing? That he like, changed his parents or something?"

"No, Ore-sama is not proposing anything of that sort. What I _am_ proposing is, perhaps, that he hasn't gone back to his parents yet."

"What, that his parents totally don't know he's here in Japan and yet we do?"

"Something of that sort, yes." Atobe stopped walking. "It's just something to think about. Not that we have any evidence."

"But what about all those immigration forms and school forms he filled out? Doesn't he need to get a guardian's signature?" Ootori asked. "So, it's impossible for his parents to know he's here, is it?"

"Unless he somehow created a fake identification card."

"Is that even possible?" Shishido asked. "I mean, security's like, huge right now. Won't they notice like, right away?"

"Unless he has established a strong connection with someone important. Ore-sama is going to try to get more information on this, and perhaps even talk to Gakuto's parents." He nodded, feeling satisfied with his decision. "Alright, our meeting is over."

"Wait, didn't you say we weren't allowed to talk about Gakuto in front of his parents?" Hiyoshi asked. "So, aren't you going against your word or something?"

"Ore-sama will just ask them if they know anything about why he left, that is all," Atobe said impatiently. "After all, he never asked me to not inquire after his disappearance."

Shishido raised his eyebrows at this new given information. "Wait, he asked you to keep quiet about him being here?"

"Yes, why?"

"But that doesn't make sense! His parents already know he's here, so why doesn't Gakuto want us to talk to them about his arrival?!"

"Maybe he didn't want his parents to start snapping at us, Shishido-san," Ootori said quietly. "They were worried about him, especially when he disappeared."

"Or his parents don't know he's here at all, and he's trying to deceive us," Atobe put in. "All right, we can talk about this more at a later date. For now, let's try to get some rest. Ne, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

…

"Stop jumping around!" Niou said. "You idiot, you're making my eyes spazz out!"

"It's called acrobatic play, for your information," Mukahi retorted. "I can't just stop jumping around."

"Well jump around less; I can't freaking see where the ball is when you keep on blocking my vision!" Niou snapped back.

"Well then move!"

"I can't move, you freaking take up the whole court with your fatness!"

"How am _I_ fat?! If I was fat, I wouldn't be able to jump around like this!"

"I really wish you were fat, then you wouldn't jump around as much!"

"I wish you'd stop complaining!"

Two courts away from them, Oshitari sighed as he watched Sanada go up to the fighting doubles players and demand them to go run laps. Their teamwork was off; and off by a lot.

"I really wonder, how did you ever manage to play tennis when Mukahi-kun was jumping around?" Yagyuu asked him. "It seems…inconvenient, in a way."

"I adapted to his playing style and got used to it," Oshitari answered.

"Well, it seems to be difficult for Niou-kun," Yagyuu commented, bouncing a tennis ball up and down. "What are you going to do?"

Oshitari gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean what am I going to do?"

"Your doubles partner is back. Do you want to go back to being partners with him?" Yagyuu stopped bouncing the ball. "You haven't talked to him at all since he came back. Have you?"

"No, I have not," Oshitari said, shaking his head. "I don't think he wants to talk to me."

"Well, why not?" the purple-haired boy demanded. "You're the reason he came back, isn't that so?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he sighed again. "After all, he has more important things to come back to than me."

"Such as?" Yagyuu inquired, tapping his foot.

"Such as…his family. He was perhaps homesick for his parents," Oshitari suggested, taking a sip of his water. "It happens, you know."

"I know it happens," Yagyuu said impatiently. "But how can you be so sure he wasn't missing _you_?"

"Look at him. He looks like he's having a grand time with his doubles partner, and he hasn't said a word to _me_. He's probably forgotten all about me."

They both observed the scene that was taking place before them. Niou and Mukahi were currently racing each other to see who would finish their laps first, and currently Niou was winning. Mukahi had never had good stamina, so he tired easily. They both had looks of determination on their faces, like they were off to fight a war.

"I miss him sometimes," Yagyuu said.

"And yet you were the one who left him," Oshitari commented.

Yagyuu nodded. "Yes, because I had gotten tired of it all. The happiness, the friendship, and most of all, the _noise_ they all made."

"And now you miss it."

"Yes, I miss it," he said quietly. "I've come to think that perhaps leaving him was one of the worst things I've ever done."

Oshitari didn't say anything.

"Ah, I just had a thought."

"What is it?"

"Perhaps Mukahi-kun thinks the same way. He must think that leaving was one of the greatest regrets he has ever faced before."

"Well, it can't be because of me."

Yagyuu paused. "You never know. Stranger things have happened in life."

…

"Jeez." Niou shook his head. "I really don't get how Oshitari ever put up with you jumping around the courts."

"Do I have to tell you again?!" Mukahi asked, slamming his hand against his locker. "It's called acrobatics play, damn it!"

"Well I think it should be called stupid play." Niou retorted. "What if you accidentally land on your opponent's court? Or even worse, land _on_ your opponent."

"I'm not going to be that far off," Mukahi snapped back. "Besides, your movements are so weird that I get distracted."

"Well sorry for moving like a regular human being," Niou remarked sarcastically, throwing down his towel. "Maybe I should just stay off the courts and have you play doubles by yourself."

"Well, Yuushi never complained when I was playing doubles with him!"

"You can't expect me to be like him; it's the reason why Yagyuu left in the first place!" Niou shouted. "Because I'm not as _patient_ or as _gentleman-like_ as him!"

Mukahi was ready for a comment of his own, one that would shock Niou to his inner core. "Well, I'm not as gentleman-like or as witty as Yagyuu; it's the reason why _I_ left."

_Empty…_

"…Is that the reason why you left?" Niou was standing there, his mouth agape. "Because you felt you weren't capable of being his doubles partner?"

_It feels so empty…_

"Forget it," Mukahi muttered. He saw that Niou wasn't going to let him off that easily and said hurriedly, "No, it wasn't the main reason why I left. Well, it could've been one reason; that I couldn't think too properly or something. If Yuushi were in my place I bet he wouldn't have left. He'd be a bit smarter than that."

"Then what was your reason for leaving?"

"What?" Mukahi turned and faced him. "You think that I'm actually going to tell you? When I haven't even told anyone else yet? Hah!"

"Then promise me you'll tell me before the term ends," Niou urged on.

"Why are you so interested in knowing about this?" the red haired boy demanded. "What's my life to you, anyway?"

"Well, you're my roommate and my doubles partner now. Of course I'd like to know."

"What, so I'm not a friend?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you tennis style pisses me off, that's why."

"I already told you, it's called acrobatic play!" Mukahi explained as they walked out of the locker rooms.

"Well, I already told you that it should be called stupid play! It's made us 20 minutes late for class!"

"It's not my fault! If only you'd stop complaining about it we wouldn't be arguing right now!" They were interrupted suddenly by a man who appeared before them.

"Ah, Mukahi-san. I was hoping to find you here. Would you please come with me to my office for a few moments?"

"I haven't done anything wrong, if that's what you're wondering," Mukahi said.

"Oh, not at all, you haven't done anything wrong at all. In fact, I wanted to discuss with you about your math grade." the principal explained as they were walking. They arrived at his office. "I'd like to see him alone, if you don't mind." This was directed at Niou.

"It's okay. Hey, I'll meet you back at our dorm, okay?"

Mukahi nodded, and both he and the principal went inside the room.

The first thing he saw was Oshitari sitting in a chair in front of the principal's desk, ruffling through a few papers. He acknowledged them with a nod and continued with his wok.

Mukahi almost choked.

"Ah, would you like a cough drop?" the principal inquired. Mukahi shook his head. "Then please sit in the chair next to Oshitari-san, if you don't mind."

Mukahi obliged, and ignored when the blue-haired boy gave a small nod at him.

"Well, Mukahi-san, I'll be frank," the principal started, settling into his chair. "Your math grades aren't the best, and your math teacher has expressed his anxieties to me."

"I've only been here a couple of days," Mukahi protested.

"And you've all but failed the homework that was assigned to you, and the test, I might add. Which your future tutor is now looking through."

Mukahi was shocked. "He's going to be my tutor? You had no right, especially giving him my papers! Aren't they supposed to be confidential?"

"Rest assured, Oshitari-san is a very trustworthy person. I have complete faith in him, and he's a miracle worker when he's teaching."

"But I don't want-"

"Please, Mukahi-san, I'm doing you a favor. Or would you rather have me call your parents in?" He leaned in, eyes narrowing. "I know their signatures were forged. Please don't make me regret taking you in, especially since I knew you were the one who forged them."

Mukahi ignored the surprised look Oshitari was giving him. His heart was beating at 100 miles per hour. He clenched his fists. "Well then, why didn't you call my parents and ask them what was going on?"

"I did." The principal sat back in his chair. "Your mother said that they were gone on a business trip so they allowed you to forge their signatures, since they were gone. I don't know why they'd let their child forge them, but I let it go, since they have good connections."

Mukahi felt as if he had no air left to breathe. "My mother?"

"Yes, your mother." The principal turned to Oshitari, who was staring at Mukahi. "I have complete faith in you, Oshitari-san."

"Ah, yes," Oshitari answered, turning back to the principal. "I will do my best."

"Then both of you are dismissed."

Mukahi got up from his chair and immediately left the room.

…

"So now you're tutoring him," Yagyuu said after Oshitari had recalled the day's events.

"Yes, apparently I am," Oshitari answered.

"Well, aren't you happy?"

"No, not really."

"Well whyever not? You're going to have a chance to talk to him now," Yagyuu pointed out.

"Gakuto didn't seem so happy about it. He all but ran out of the room."

"Well, you can't blame him. He's most assuredly heard of our little act from Niou-kun by now."

Oshitari was silent.

"And you say Mukahi-kun forged his parent's signature," Yagyuu continued on.

"That's what our principal said," Oshitari replied.

"Then he must've really wanted to see you."

"The principal said his parents had allowed it."

"Well Mukahi-kun wished to go to this school," Yagyuu retorted.

"Well it wasn't because of me."

"Think! Why would he want to go to this school? All your other friends are elsewhere, isn't that so? So it must be you."

"Yes, but maybe he has other reasons," Oshitari argued as he was putting together utensils for the night's lesson.

"My question is, do you like him?" Yagyuu asked.

"Perhaps. And you?"

"Me…what?"

"Do you like Niou?"

"Perhaps."

Oshitari stopped for a moment. "You have changed quite a bit."

Yagyuu looked surprised, then thoughtful and said, "Yes…because I'm stuck in the middle of being Niou-kun and being myself."

"And is that a consequence for leaving him?" Oshitari inquired.

"Yes, perhaps." He looked as if he was about to say more but was interrupted by two sharp knocks on the door.

Oshitari opened it and Niou's head popped in. "Hey, he's ready."

"Oh?" Oshitari raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was coming here."

Niou shrugged. "Well, he was freaking out when I left him, so I don't think he's fit to move."

"Niou-kun, that's hardly called 'being ready'," Yagyuu reprimanded. "Does he even know you're here?"

He had spoken without thinking, and now Oshitari was staring at him. Niou, however, took no notice at the phenomenon of having been spoken to for the first time in two years and answered, "Well, no, not really. I don't even think he noticed that I left. Anyways, you read?" He gestured to Oshitari.

Oshitari nodded and went out the door. Yagyuu turned back to his notebook, assuming both of them would leave. He heard the door close and a few seconds later someone said, "We need to talk."

Yagyuu looked back and to his surprise, Niou was still there, standing near the door. "I thought you'd leave with him."

"Nah, I have a feeling they need to sort things out a big. I mean, after he appeared and all that. Oshitari was surprised, wasn't he?"

"Yes, but not as much as I was."

* * *

So, what did you think of Chapter 3? XD


	4. Truth

Standard Disclaimers Apply. Meaning I don't own this anime/manga.

Please note that this chapter might be a little more mature than others.

* * *

Mukahi was feeling irritated at having been left by his roommate. "I freak out on him and then he _leaves_?" he muttered to himself. "Some friend he is." He heard the door open and said, "Took you long enough. You know, you don't just _leave_ when people are freaking out."

"Ah, but I just came here, Gakuto."

Hearing the familiar voice he quickly turned around and saw that it was Oshitari, who was now smirking at him, if only slightly.

"I absolutely do _not_ need this right now!" Mukahi groaned, banging his head on the table. "No, I don't care about my math grade and to _hell_ with sarcasm!!"

"Watch your language, Gakuto," Oshitari reprimanded, sitting down next to him and taking out his calculus textbook. "And sarcasm is a useful tool, especially when you're in a bad mood. You should try it sometime. It works just as well as cursing at your boss when you're on a sugar high."

"Why in the world would anyone be pissed at their boss when they're on a _sugar high_?" Mukahi demanded. "And why do I have to be tutored in _math_? Are humans going to even use math when they're at work?!"

"It depends on what you're majoring in," Oshitari answered. "Now, do you know how to find the volume of a sphere?"

"Yeah…three-fourths times pi times…radius squared?"

Oshitari sighed. "I meant in calculus terms, and it's four-thirds times pi times radius _cubed_, Gakuto."

"Well math doesn't help people in their lives," Mukahi snapped. "Especially when you're not majoring in math!"

Oshitari began jotting something down on a sheet of graph paper. "Gakuto, I'm here to tutor you in math, not to talk to you about what's the reason we learn math at school."

"Oh, I see how it is. So we're only going to talk about math, right? Not anything else?" the red-haired boy shot at him.

Oshitari stopped writing and put his pencil down. He looked at Mukahi for a moment and said, "I don't think there is anything to talk about, Gakuto."

Mukahi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Especially when you've been gone for so long," he continued, not seeming to notice the surprise in his former doubles partner's eyes. "I don't know what we can talk about anymore." He looked at him as if he had no interest in having a conversation, nor any interest in how much his words stung.

"Of course we can talk about stuff!" Mukahi protested.

"Oh? Then start a conversation, if you can." The look in his eyes were terrifying; daring him to challenge his logic, as if knowing full to well he would fail.

"No, it should be _you_ who starts the conversation!" Mukahi argued, slamming his hand down the table. "_You_ were the one who should be asking me why I left. _You_ should be the one who should be inquiring me about what I've been doing for the past three years. _You_ should've been the one who went up to me first! You're supposed to get angry at me; you should've gone up to me during English class and _slap_ me or something! But no, you just went and talked with your beloved doubles partner, as if nothing happened!"

Oshitari was silent. The silence lasted only for a few seconds, but it felt like minutes. Finally, he said, "I'm deeply sorry for not meeting your expectations, Gakuto, but quite frankly, I don't really care about the reason on why you left."

"Then get the hell _out of here_," Mukahi spat out. "Don't worry, I won't let our _lovely principal_ know about this. I'll just say you tutored me, and that I was so stupid that you gave up after four hours. I assure you, your pride and glory won't be harmed by this."

"_He's miraculous when it comes to teaching."_

Oshitari looked like he was trying to say something, but he closed his mouth and started gathering up his supplies. Once he was done he got up and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

…

"You said that we needed to talk. Well then, what are we to talk about?" Yagyuu inquired, fiddling with his blue pencil.

"I dunno," Niou said, shrugging. "Maybe you could ask me something."

Yagyuu looked thoughtful. "Ah, then may I ask why you and Mukahi-kun were fighting on the tennis courts?"

"We were fighting because his tennis style is wacky. He keeps on jumping around the courts, and it gets hard to play tennis because it's distracting," Niou answered.

"Ah, well from what Oshitari-kun told me, he said he got used to his playing style quite easily," the purple haired boy said.

Niou rolled his eyes and sat on the bottom bunk. "Well, that's Oshitari for you. He's weird, I tell you, I have no idea how he puts up with that kid's cranky attitude."

"I never found out how he did it either," Yagyuu put in. "I kept on wondering about it, but I never figured it out. But, Niou-kun, is that the only reason?"

"What other reason could there be?" Niou demanded, grabbing a tennis ball from somewhere on the floor and bouncing it.

"Were you not irritated when he showed reluctance to let go of the past?"

"Of course not," Niou replied, keeping his attention on the tennis ball. "Why would I be irritated? It took me a long time too. And besides, I don't think he's quite over with it yet."

"I sometimes wonder whether or not your choice in telling Mukahi-kun about all of this was the right thing to do," Yagyuu voiced in.

The silver-haired boy glared at him. "Well, it was the truth. The truth hurts, but it's better than disillusioning him and making him think there's still hope for this whole situation. You and Oshitari have your own lives now, and he would've gotten hurt even more if Oshitari had to tell him."

"There would always be a possibility that Oshitari-kun would never tell him."

Niou stopped bouncing the ball and looked at him. "You know, you should stop calling him by his surname."

"And what's wrong with calling him 'Oshitari-kun'?" Yagyuu inquired, fiddling with his glasses.

"Because it's like you're distancing yourself from him with just that one name," Niou said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Calling someone by their given name is kind of special, you know."

Yagyuu thought about it for a minute.

"Especially since you never used my given name," Niou continued.

Yagyuu almost could sense a sort of bitterness in Niou's voice. "Niou-kun, tell me, are you angry at Mukahi-kun by any chance?"

"What do you think?" Niou glared at the wall across from him. "Think Yagyuu, think. Because obviously you can think better than I can."

"And perhaps I have more sense than you," Yagyuu added. "I'd get straight to the point, if I were you."

Niou was silent.

"Don't do anything that you'll regret, Niou-kun. Don't hurt innocent people just because you're in a bad mood," the bespectacled boy advised him.

"Whatever," Niou muttered. "It's not as if I _can_ hurt people. I only pull pranks, and trick people. That's it."

"You never know. Maybe one day you'll hurt someone without even knowing it." They heard the door across from them open with a creak. "Ah, I believe Oshitari-kun is done with his tutoring session."

Niou took this as a sign to leave and went out of the room. He came face to face with Oshitari.

Somehow, both of them knew their conversations had actions had gone astray.

As they walked past each other it was as if the silence was screaming at them that they had failed.

_Failure…_

_Failure…_

_YOU BOTH FAILED._

_**Failed.**_

"_I'm deeply sorry for not meeting your expectations, Gakuto, but quite frankly, I don't really care about the reason on why you left."_

"_Don't do anything that you'll regret, Niou-kun. Don't hurt innocent people just because you're in a bad mood."_

Niou walked with Yagyuu's heartless words replaying over and over in his mind. He had not even noticed that he was already in his dorm room, and that he was sitting on the ground.

"You…okay?" Mukahi looked at him with a worried look in his eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

_Is there something wrong?_

_Is there something wrong…_

_Of course there's something wrong, everything has gone wrong._

"What do _you_ think?" Niou spat out bitterly, glaring at him.

"What do _I_ think? I think there's something wrong. You don't look so good; do you want to lie down for awhile?"

He hated the way Mukahi talked, and the way he said things. He hated the way he thought that everything was going to be alright after a few minutes of rest.

"Well do you know what _I_ think?" Niou demanded, getting up. "Do you know who I think started this whole mess?"

Mukahi only shook his head, unable to comprehend why the silver-haired boy was shouting at him.

"Don't be so stupid, of course you know who started this whole mess! It was _you_ who started it!"

"I did not!" Mukahi argued, appalled that Niou would even think of such a ridiculous hypothesis.

"_Of course you did_," Niou insisted. "Here, let me sum it up for you." He held out his hand and began counting off with his fingers. "First, you go run off to god knows where, and everyone at Hyoutei is worried about you and their playing is totally off. Your doubles partner totally goes emo and comes to our high school, Oedo. Then, Akutagawa gets all lonely and depressed because you left and somehow he finds Marui and they become such great friends that Marui goes to Fukagawa, and Jackal just _has_ to tag along with him. Our whole team gets screwed up because of it. And because Oshitari came to Oedo, he meets Yagyuu and they instantly become great friends. And then they become even more than friends. Because of him, Yagyuu decides to stop being my doubles partner. Because of _you_ my life is so fucked up."

Mukahi couldn't say anything.

"That's right," Niou sneered. "It was all because of _you_."

"I-I didn't mean it," Mukahi whispered. "I didn't mean for anything bad to happen. "I just wanted to get away an-"

_Slap!_

"Of course you meant it," the silver-haired boy shouted. "It's all your fault! Now _get the hell out!"_

He watched as the red-haired boy scrambled away, running as fast as he could out the door, not even bothering to close it behind him as he made his escape.

He slid down against the wall and stared at the ceiling above him.

"He shouldn't have come back."

"_Don't do anything that you'll regret, Niou-kun. Don't hurt innocent people just because you're in a bad mood."_

"He really shouldn't have come back."

…

"He didn't have to hit me," Mukahi muttered to himself angrily, walking at a fast pace down the sidewalk. "And it's not my fault this whole situation went insane."

Or was it really his fault? It sure seemed like it, what with Oshitari leaving and Jirou going depressed and whatnot. But he hadn't _asked_ Oshitari to leave, nor did he ask Marui and Jackal to suddenly decide to go to Fukagawa. It's not like he meant for any of this to happen; how could he have known things would get this chaotic just because _he_ left?

No one was supposed to care that deeply about what he was doing the whole time.

Everyone thought he was stupid, so why couldn't they just leave him alone; forget about him?

He never asked for any of this friendship stuff, and he never asked any of them to be worried.

He just left.

_I had a good reason for leaving,_ Mukahi thought to himself, trying to defend himself from the voice in his head that kept on telling him that it was all his fault. _I didn't ask for any of this._

Niou was right.

It was all his fault.

And there was nothing that could be done about it. If only he hadn't left, maybe this whole mess wouldn't have happened. Deep down, he was a coward, and he knew that he shouldn't have even left in the first place. He could've just gone on with it. After all, his father's expectations of him were nothing that he had to fear about.

But there was just something that wasn't right; something that was preventing him from fulfilling his father's last expectation before he ran away. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was something that constantly frustrated him.

He was in such deep thought that he didn't even notice the strange man that had been following him all this time. When he had noticed, it was already too late. The man had already pinned him against the wall.

"Hey! What are yo-" He was silenced by the man's hand, which was clamped tightly over his mouth.

"50,000 yen," the man breathed in his ear. "I'll give you 50,000 yen."

_What the fuck is this guy talking about?!_ Mukahi made a little shake of his head, indicating that he didn't want the man's money.

"Che…you're pretty expensive. Fine. How about 60,000 yen? Sound good enough to you? I mean, it's only for one night."

Realization then finally dawned on him. The man had finally removed his hand from Mukahi's mouth, and he said. "You're mistaken, I'm not-"

"Why, of course you are," the man looked at him strangely. "Why else would a fine young lady like you be out here at this time of night?"

Mukahi clenched his teeth at having been called a 'young lady'. If it had been any other time, he might've thought the man was trying for a ridiculous attempt at a joke, but right now, he wasn't up for any humor. "I was just taking a walk."

The man raised his eyebrows and laughed. "At this area? Fine, I see what you're saying. 80,000 yen, then."

Mukahi made a quick check of his surroundings and realized that there was barely anyone out at the streets. The roads were littered with garbage and smelled of sewage. "Go find someone else to fuck with," Mukahi said, trying to get away. "I'm not for sale, and I'm not a girl."

"It's 80,000 yen," the man argued. "I bet you're one of those university outcasts who came by here just to get drunk or something. You're probably some nobody who'll end up homeless within a few years. Come on."

"Did you just hear what I said?" Mukahi felt incredulous at the man's stupidity and deafness. "I'm not a girl, and I'm definitely not going to become one anytime soon."

"Does it look like I care?" The strange shoved Mukahi right into the wall, making him wince. "This is your last chance. 80,000 or I'm not even paying you."

"I told you to find someone el-" he gave a yelp as the man threw him to the ground. His left shoulder made a little _crack_ and was burning with pain.

"Kid, you're really stubborn."

"Ore-sama seems to think you are the most stubborn of all," came a voice from behind.

Mukahi's eyes widened in surprise. _Atobe?_

The man whirled around and narrowed his eyes on the intruder. "Hey, mind your own business, will you?"

"I, Atobe Keigo, refuses to 'mind his own business'. In fact, Ore-sama _orders_ you to get out of here. Or would you like me to tell my father wh-"

"Okay, okay! You got me." He pushed past Atobe. "All you Atobe's are the same. Arrogant and bitchy, that's what," he muttered.

Atobe gave him a distasteful look and turned his full attention towards Mukahi. "Gakuto, get in the limo."

"For what?" Mukahi demanded, sitting up. He winced as the sudden movement made his shoulder twinge in pain.

Atobe raised his eyebrows. "In case you haven't noticed, I believe you have a broken shoulder."

"…"

…

"Now then," Atobe said as the limo was making its journey towards the hospital. "Ore-sama wants to know why you were in that place."

"Mind your own business, Atobe," Mukahi shot at him. The smell of the leather seats in the limo was making him gag. He wanted to break it all; this perfection and grandeur Atobe had.

"I am disappointed in you. I thought that even you, Gakuto, had at least enough sense to know that a deserted street was dangerous to be in. Whatever on earth made you go to that place?"

"It doesn't matter," Mukahi grumbled, running his hand across the smooth, cool glass of the window. "Everyone's disappointed in me; it's not that surprising that you're disappointed as well."

"Are you telling Ore-sama that even running away from home doesn't even matter to you?"

Mukahi looked at him straight in the eye. "Of course not. It's over and done with, and my parents don't even care anymore."

Atobe gave him a calculating look before directing his attention to his driver and giving him directions.

It was the first time in Mukahi's life where he could actually lie. Without looking away.

…

Mukahi was almost afraid to go back to his dorm, but it couldn't be helped. All his stuff was still there, and if he was lucky, Niou would still be sleeping. He could sneak in, get all his stuff, and walk out.

The problem was, how to organize and carry his stuff without Niou waking up.

His arm had been put into a sling and a cast, which sucked because his left arm was his dominant one, and it meant he couldn't play tennis for some time. And he couldn't just carry all his stuff with his right arm, since he had all his textbooks and his tennis equipment to move. He'd have to make two trips from the clubhouse to the dorm.

"This sucks," Mukahi muttered as he produced the key and with much difficulty managed to get the door open. And to his surprise, Niou was still up, sitting on the ground and staring off into space.

Niou looked at him and stared. And stared. And stared. Finally he said, "What the _fuck_ did you do to your arm?! Did you like, get pushed around or something?" He jumped up.

"No, of course not." Mukahi rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him, and started gathering up his stuff. "I obviously was attacked by to female llamas who were on crack and they just decided to sandwich me. Oh, and they threw me off from a eight story building and then went over to my dead body and started squishing my guts out."

"Haha, very funny," Niou said sarcastically, standing by him. "But what are you doing _now_?"

Mukahi was surprised at how calm he felt in front of Niou, the person who had just told him all the chaos was his fault. "I'm packing, of course."

A silence filled the room. Niou only watched as Mukahi struggled to get the zipper of his tennis bag opened. "Is it because of what I said yesterday?"

Mukahi didn't answer.

"Because, well, I've been thinking. I just got pissed because of Yagyuu. I don't think it was your fault at all. I mean, Oshitari might've wanted to come to this school because of it's curriculum or something…"

Mukahi still didn't answer.

"Well, if you're going to leave now, you might as well tell me why you ran away in the first place."

"It's not that easy," Mukahi finally muttered, totally giving up on the zipper. "I mean, it's not that easy to explain. It's not even a good reason."

Niou snorted, sitting on the lower bunk. "A reason's still a reason. Besides, you promised."

"It's not the end of the term yet," Mukahi pointed out, completely giving up on his packing.

"Well you're apparently leaving right now, so I expect you to tell me."

Another silence filled the room. If could've been thirty seconds, a minute, two hours, Mukahi didn't know, before he said, "It was because of my father."

"Your dad?"

"_Gakuto, come here," his mother called out to him as Mukahi was putting away his shoes._

"_What is it?" Mukahi asked. He entered the living room where his father and mother were currently at, sitting on their couch_

"_We have something important to tell you…" his mother said in a faltering voice. "Just…don't be afraid, okay dear?"_

"_Don't baby him," his father barked out. "He's old enough; he can handle situations like these. It's expected of my son." Mukahi noted that he didn't say 'our son', but rather 'my son'. "You're going to be married," his father continued. "To Ishihara Kimiko. I trust that you will treat her well."_

"_Married?! But why? Who's this Ishihara whatsherface anyway?"_

"_Gakuto, just listen to your father," his mother begged. "It's alright, arranged marriages aren't that frightening. We'll be here for you."_

"_No we won't," his father contradicted. "Son, you will do as I say and marry this girl."_

"_But what if I don't want to?!" Mukahi demanded. "What kind of father are you, just to force your own son into some…arranged marriage or whatever!"_

"_You will do as I say!"_

"_The world doesn't revolve around you, you know!"_

"_How dare you!" his father's eyes were bulging now. "Good God, what did I ever do get a son that was so…insolent?!"_

"_What did I ever do to get such a stupid, annoying, and selfish father?!" Mukahi shot back._

"_GO TO YOUR ROOM!" He turned to his butler and gave him orders. "You! Take my son to his room, now!"_

_The next moment Mukahi was being dragged by his butler, and saw that his mother was following close behind. He was thrown into the room, and the butler tried to close the door._

"_Wait!" his mother cried out. "Let me in too, I'll talk sense into him!" The butler complied, and his mother was pushed into his son's room. Mukahi heard a click, indicating that the door had been locked._

_His mother looked at him with pleading eyes. "Gakuto, I know this must be very hard for you, but you have to listen to him!"_

"_I don't want to marry anyone!" Mukahi screeched. "I'm fifteen! I don't want to go to some stupid, arranged marriage and marry a stupid girl who I don't even know!"_

"_But your father knows what's best for you!"_

"_He doesn't know anything! He doesn't care about what _I_ feel, now does he? He just thinks I'm some stupid toy to be thrown around! I hate him!"_

_His mother looked at him, tears filling her eyes. "A-Are you sure you don't want to marry this girl?"_

"_Of course I am!" Mukahi said._

"_Perhaps it can't be helped then…" His mother gave him a card._

_Mukahi stared at the thing that was being placed into his hands. "A…credit card?"_

"_No, honey, a debit card. I've got the account all set up for you. I've already deposited a lot of money in it. I was hoping I wouldn't have to give you this, but all I want is for you to be happy. There is no choice." She sighed. "Here." She gave him something else._

_Mukahi opened the envelope and his eyes widened. "It's…a plane ticket."_

"_To Malaysia, yes," his mother said. "Somewhere that your father would never suspect you to be in. The plane leaves tonight."_

"_Are you saying that-"_

"_Yes. I want you to run away," his mother gave him a sad smile. "I hope you'll be happier there. Your father won't be able to find you. I've already got it all set up, all you have to do is show your passport and your plane ticket."_

"_What about you?"_

"_I stay here. I'm sorry, but it's either you go along with the arranged marriage, or you live by yourself in a foreign country. You can go to an international school, and make new friends." She sniffed. "I'll go downstairs and calm down your father." With that, she left._

_Later, Mukahi would be standing in the airport, and then boarding a plane, leaving everything in Japan behind. _

_As he got on the plane, he felt his soul had been emptied out._

"It was either run away, or get married to some girl," Mukahi finally said.

"Oh wait, was it…" Niou thought for a moment. "Was it that Ishihara Kimiko person?"

Mukahi was shocked. "How did you know?"

"Marui was complaining about her," Niou explained. "How she kept on screaming one day and asking everyone where you went. I think it was the same day when people found out that you had disappeared or something. Jackal says she's the most brattiest person he's ever come to known. And she's student body president now. Ick."

"Wait, when was this?" Mukahi was frowning. "Did she go to Rikkai?"

"No, we were all in high school already when Ishihara found out that you went missing. She made a big fuss and even principal couldn't stop her screaming." Niou shook his head. "I can't believe you almost got married to her." He looked at Mukahi. "But now, the question is…"

Mukahi looked at him. "What?"

"The question is, when are you planning on telling your friends?"

* * *

Yeah, this chapter might've not been the best one. I feel like there wasn't enough description.

Regardless, please tell me how you thought of chapter four!!


	5. Shock

"Never."

Niou stared at him. "You're kidding…right?"

"I'm never _ever_ going to tell them. Why would I? They're already disappointed in me, and who says they'd believe my anyway?" Mukahi shrugged. "Besides, it'll all pass over in a few months."

"But what about your friends? They'd want to know, wouldn't they? I mean, you told _me_, so…"

"So why wouldn't I tell them?" Mukahi finished. "I dunno, someone like Jirou would spill and then my dad would come along and put me in a prison, or something."

Niou gave him a questioning look. "But I don't get it. I mean, the main reason why you even came back in the first place was to tell them, right?"

Mukahi shook his head and sighed. "I tried telling them, I really did. But then I realized that all I needed was to be able to see them again."

"I still think you should tell them," Niou argued. "They deserve that much, especially since you didn't even say a word. Not that it was your fault or anything, but still."

"Atobe almost found out," Mukahi said abruptly, giving a quick look at his injured shoulder before looking at Niou. "He found me in a street with one of his dad's workers or something. He sent me to the hospital."

"What exactly happened with your shoulder?" Niou asked. "Was the guy like, abusing you or something?"

Mukahi nodded. "Something like it. Atobe sent me to the hospital, like I said, and I almost told him while we were in his limo. You remember that time when you told me people usually look away when they lie, right?" Niou nodded. Mukahi continued, letting out a small laugh. "It was so weird. I told him my parents didn't care anymore, and that I was living with them and there was nothing wrong anymore. And I didn't look away. I've become almost as pro as Yuushi."

"But everything's wrong," Niou said quietly. "Your friends don't know, and yet _I_ know. And you won't even tell them."

Mukahi sensed that Niou wouldn't be happy until he at least tried. "I'll…think about it. Telling them, I mean."

Niou still didn't look happy with this, but shrugged it off. "As long as you think about it, I guess it's okay."

But really, it wasn't.

…

Niou needed to think of a plan.

Fast.

His roommate had told him he would think about telling his friends about what happened, but he doubted Mukahi was going to do that any time soon. He would probably stall for as long as he could, not that Niou could blame him. Still, it frustrated him to no end.

He had half a mind to talk to Atobe or even Oshitari and tell them what was going on, but it probably wasn't such a good idea. The acrobatics player would probably get angry at him and refuse to talk to him. It would definitely put a toll on his newfound friendship with him, at the very least.

Still, it was unsettling to see Mukahi suffer like this. Niou knew for a fact that he wanted badly to tell them the truth, he just didn't know _how_. His roommate definitely had some sort of communication problem.

He wished some kind of miracle would happen.

…

Life had taken on a sort of funny repetition for Mukahi. All he did day after day was wake up, get dressed, go to school, come back, do homework, and sleep.

It had been two weeks until he finally got his cast off. The doctor warned him that he still had to take it easy, but he paid no heed.

After all, his life was already in such a mess. Why would he care about such a trivial thing as his arm?

As he went to tennis practice he found Niou sitting on a bench with a wet towel on his head, grumbling about the heat. The silver-haired boy saw him with his cast off and smirked. "Does this mean you can play tennis again?"

Mukahi shook his head. "For the time being, no. The doctor said I still had to take it easy and blah blah blah." He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, you'll have to be paired up with Kirihara for the rest of the week."

"Sucks to be me, then," Niou said matter-of-factly.

"Hey! I heard that!" came a cry from the other side of the tennis courts.

"You know, I might quit the tennis club," Mukahi said all of a sudden, with a nonchalant expression.

Niou gave him a glare. "You know, if this is about your doubles partner again and crap, that's totally not a good reason to quit."

"It's not about that."

"Then is it about your reluctance in telling your friends about your current situation?"

"It's not about that either."

"Then what's the reason?" Niou demanded, standing up. "Do you just not want to play tennis or what?"

"I just…don't want to play anymore." Mukahi shrugged. "I guess tennis just died off of me. I'd rather quit, y'know? I'd rather do something fun during my last year of high school."

Niou just rolled his eyes. Things were getting weirder with every passing day.

…

Oshitari replayed the conversation between Niou and Mukahi over and over in his mind. Mukahi? Quit _tennis_? It just seemed all too obscure. There was no way Mukahi would ever get tired of tennis.

Then again, he probably didn't know his doubles partner anymore. He hadn't seen him in three years, after all. A lot of changes could happen in three years.

Still, from the conversation he had with Mukahi a few weeks back, he concluded with a sense of confidence that Mukahi hadn't changed _that_ much. He was still the same old ill-tempered acrobatics player he had known three years ago.

As he stood up to leave his dorm, Yagyuu stopped him.

"You never really answered my question, Oshitari-kun," the purple-haired boy reminded him.

Oshitari turned around and gave a small chuckle. "I expect you should know the answer to that question by now."

_Do you have feelings for him?_

"Ah yes, I had thought so." Niou pushed his glasses up. "Then you should at least know my answer to your question."

"I already knew the answer a long time ago," Oshitari replied.

"Then where are you going now?"

A pause. "To take care of some unfinished business." And with that, Oshitari walked out of his room, closing the door behind him.

As he crossed the familiar streets leading to his old junior high school, he only had one thought in his mind. _This is the only other place where I can find my answer._

Hyoutei Gakuen. It was the only place left Oshitari could think of.

He had searched everywhere, clues that might've given a reason why Mukahi left so suddenly, without a word. He had hoped, no, he _knew_ Mukahi had left him some kind of clue, maybe hidden somewhere. He had checked everywhere; the library, the locker rooms, even their old classrooms.

Well, almost everywhere. There was only one place he hadn't checked so far: the tennis clubroom.

Oshitari wondered why he had never thought about it before. If Mukahi had left some kind of clue, it must have been in the clubroom. Perhaps, at the time, Oshitari had thought too much. Perhaps, at the time, Oshitari was too upset to even think straight.

Whatever the reason was, the clubroom was now his only hope for even finding a single shred of clue to why his doubles partner at left.

He was in the clubroom now, his insides boiling with anticipation. He began searching through the old cases of supplies, and the boxes filled with old uniforms.

"_Ne, Yuushi, don't you think these new running shoes are cool?" Mukahi asked._

_Oshitari just gave a slight nod._

"_You didn't even look at them!" Mukahi protested._

"_Hn."_

_Mukahi glared at him and went back to examining his shoes. Suddenly, an odd thought occurred to him. "Ne, Yuushi?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_What would you do if I suddenly disappeared one day?" the acrobatics player asked him._

_Oshitari turned and looked at his doubles partner. "What do you mean?"_

"_Like, if I suddenly disappeared one day, what would you do?"_

"_Why would you ever disappear?" Oshitari was a bit awed by Mukahi's sudden bout of questions._

"_Just answer me!"_

"_I would try to find you, of course," Oshitari replied. "But why would you ever disappear? Have you been watching too many movies lately?"_

"_It's nothing," Mukahi muttered. _

_Some minutes passed in silence before Mukahi spoke up again. "I'm not wearing these shoes anymore. I'll just leave them here."_

_Oshitari gave him a questioning look. "Why?"_

_Mukahi shrugged. "I've lost interest in them, I guess." Silently, he took them off and put them back in the box. He stuffed the box inside the storage closet. "I liked my old ones better anyway."_

Oshitari had searched everywhere, but he still couldn't find anything relating to Mukahi's sudden disappearance. It probably wasn't inside the clubroom after all.

He finally gave up and was about to leave when he spotted a old, dusty shoebox lying on the ground. He bent down to pick it up.

It was Mukahi's old shoebox. Where he kept the shoes he had only worn once.

He really didn't get why Mukahi didn't take them home with him and use them. It was such a waste, Oshitari thought while sighing. He opened the box and examined the shoes. _He has such small feet_.

It was then that he noticed the small, pink paper that was lying at the bottom of the box.

'_Father, I'd rather leave the pearl for the next fellow who comes along.'_

…

"I still don't get why you're thinking of quitting the tennis club," Niou said as he tied his shoes. "I can't believe you don't like tennis anymore."

"Well get used to it," Mukahi replied, yawning. "I'm allowed to have different hobbies, you know."

"But it just doesn't make sense," Niou protested. "Weren't you like, totally in love with it like, two days ago?"

"…I never said that."

"Yes you did," he argued. "I remember it as if it were yesterday. Actually, it was the day before yesterday, so who cares. But you said, 'I'm never going to give up tennis, it's too fun' or something." He glared. "And now you're like 'Ew, I hate tennis'. What's up with that?"

"Ah? What is this Ore-sama hears about quitting tennis?" A voice came from behind.

Both of them jumped up at the same time. Atobe was standing in front of them, a questioning look on his face. "Ore-sama demands to know why Gakuto is now quitting tennis." Shishido and Ootori had come up behind him.

"I'm quitting tennis because I feel like it, Atobe," Mukahi replied scathingly. "And I don't need your opinions on my life, thank you very much."

"Is it because of your arm, ah?" came the next question.

"Wait, what about his arm?" Shishido asked, eyes flitting from Mukahi to Atobe back to Mukahi. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Atobe sighed. "He got into a small accident, and his arm was broken. Ah, Ore-sama sees your cast has been taken off."

"Atobe, why in the hell do you never tell us these things?" Shishido asked exasperatedly. "It's like you're always one step ahead of us."

"That's because he's obviously smarter than you, Shishido," Mukahi put in, crossing his arms. "And you don't have the brains to figure out stuff like he does."

"Well if you think you're so good then why don't we have a tennis match?" Shishido challenged, glaring at him. "Besides, it's time I paid you back for leaving us like that."

_Now,_ Niou thought. _Would totally be a good time to tell them._

Mukahi hesitated for a moment.

"What, are you too scared now?"

Mukahi took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Of course not. It's a deal."

"But Mukahi-senpai, are you sure?" Ootori asked worriedly. "Didn't you just get your arm broken?"

"I'm fine," Mukahi assured, grabbing his tennis racket. "This is going to be fun," he said, smirking.

However, Ootori noted that Mukahi had grabbed his tennis racket with his right arm. Even though his senpai was left-handed.

…

Mukahi seriously wasn't in the mood for this.

Seriously.

He had just gotten back from the hospital when all of a sudden Atobe came in barging into their school with Shishido and Ootori tagging along. Of course, he didn't really mind Ootori that much, but Shishido was just getting on his nerves. He really wondered why Shishido insisted on knowing his reason for his disappearance, even though he claimed he hated Mukahi now.

And now he was playing a tennis match against Shishido. Right after he got his cast off. He wondered when people would start noticing that he was playing with his right arm.

"You can serve first," he called out.

"Are you sure?" Shishido smirked. "You might regret it."

Mukahi rolled his eyes. "Just serve already! You're so slow, by the time we're even done with this game I'll be forty-three."

"You already act like you're forty-three," Shishido retorted, throwing the ball into the air. It made a _thwack!_ as it hit his racket. Mukahi watched as the ball came spinning towards him. He managed to hit it, but the ball went into the net.

Shishido looked disappointed. "Come on, don't tell me you're _that_ off. Hasn't your arm already healed?"

"Shut up," Mukahi growled, gripping his racket tightly. "I just made a mistake, that's all."

"Ore-sama does not permit any mistakes, Gakuto," Atobe called out from the bench. "Even if you're not a part of our school anymore, it's still disappointing to see your game off. Although," he paused, then continued. "It might be better if you used your dominant hand, wouldn't it?"

Shishido looked incredulous as he looked back at Mukahi, and realized that indeed to red-haired acrobatics player was using his right arm. "Stop screwing around! Can't you take this tennis game seriously?"

"I said shut up! I was just experimenting, okay?"

"In a _tennis_ game? What, are you saying I'm not good enough for you?" Shishido looked as if he was about to throw something at him.

"I never said that, you're just jumping to random conclusions! You're _always_ jumping to conclusions, and I'm getting sick and tired of it! Do you want to know _why_ I'm not using my left hand? Do you? Well serve, then!" Mukahi took his racket with his left hand. "Go ahead!"

Shishido hesitated, but served nonetheless. Mukahi could tell it was far from a regular serve that Shishido could perform, but he was probably still angry. Angrier still, probably, from his sudden outburst. He ran towards the ball, and waited for it to bounce before making his move.

His teammates watched in horror as Mukahi made a futile attempt to raise his arm and hit the ball. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as the tennis racket slid out of his hands and dropped onto the floor with a loud _clack_.

Even time seemed to stop as Mukahi slowly dropped down his arm. "And that," he said finally. "Is why I can't use it anymore."

* * *

This chapter is significantly shorter. Many apologies. XD

Please tell me what you thought of Chapter 5!!


	6. Relevation?

I wasn't particularly too happy with this chapter for some reason. Hm...

* * *

"And it's also why you shouldn't randomly jump to conclusions like that, Shishido," Mukahi said as he bent down to grab his racket. "Because bad things might happen to you."

"But Mukahi-senpai, isn't it already healed? Didn't you already get your cast off?" Ootori asked, still looking a bit awed from the events that occurred a moment ago.

"Of course I went to the doctor," he scoffed. "I just can't raise my arm properly anymore. It's gotten pretty weak, too."

"So then tennis is out of the question for you," Shishido went up to him. "You should've said something, at least. It's not my fault I'm always jumping to conclusions, you're just never telling us anything."

"I feel no need to tell you, that's why." Mukahi shrugged.

"That's exactly what your problem is," Niou put in. "You never told us anything about your arm, and we had to find out by pure chance. If Shishido hadn't challenged you to a tennis match, we would've never known, and I would've thought you were some stupid jerk quitting the tennis club just because you don't have the guts to tell us your problems. Hell, you've told _me, _why can't you tell them?"

Mukahi was silent, then finally said, "It's just not that easy. I was planning to tell everyone, you know? But the need to tell them just kind of died or something."

"Ore-sama demands to know everything now," Atobe said. "I am not going to let you go without a sufficient answer."

"Atobe, seriously, it really doesn't ma-"

"Of course it matters!" Atobe snapped. "Ore-sama demands an explanation from you right this minute!"

"You might want to tell them, Gakuto. It's not everyday that Atobe loses his cool like that," a voice said.

"And I'm sure you'd love to know the answer, now wouldn't you, Yuushi?" Mukahi replied, making no sign that he had seen Oshitari walk up to their little group.

"I do not need to listen; I have already found out the reason."

Mukahi looked at Oshitari in surprise, then at Niou. Niou held his hands up, shaking his head. "Hey, it wasn't me. I don't know how that kid found out."

"It actually took me quite a while." Oshitari sighed. "Three years, in fact. Now, Gakuto, what I really wonder is why you never brought these shoes with you." He reached into his bag that he was carrying and pulled out a pair of Nike shoes that looked as if they had never been worn before. "You left them in the clubroom. And that's how I found out."

Atobe opened his mouth to ask what Oshitari was talking about, but Niou beat him to it. "How the hell does his shoes have to do with his reason?!"

"Shoes? What shoes? I never remembered seeing any shoes lying around in the clubroom before." Shishido stared at the bag Oshitari was holding. "Hey, are those shoes _pink_?"

"Never mind the color," Atobe said with a wave of his hand. "Ore-sama wants to know what the shoes mean."

Oshitari made no movement suggesting he was going to answer the question that was bestowed upon him anytime soon. Instead, he looked at Mukahi, who was looking at the bag in horror.

_Mukahi was standing in front of Hyoutei's clubroom, just a few hours before he was due at the airport. He immediately went into the storage room and brought out his new shoes, taking care not to upset anything. _

"_I wish I had worn them more," Mukahi said ruefully to himself, as he scribbled something onto a pink piece of paper. After he was done writing he dropped it into the shoebox, and put them back where he had found them._

"_I wish I had learned more about you, Yuushi," he said as he closed the door. "Maybe then I wouldn't have so many regrets to leave behind."_

_Mukahi knew it would be a miracle if Oshitari had actually found the note. Still, it was better than nothing, and it eased some of his guilt._

"I forgot," Mukahi said in a small voice, dropping his racket again. "I forgot I left it in there. The note. I was supposed to go back and take them again, but I totally forgot about it."

"Would somebody _please_ explain to me what the fuck is going on?" Shishido eyes were darting back and forth between Oshitari and Mukahi.

"He's talking about the note that Mukahi left, Shishido-san," Ootori answered him, eyes looking sad. "The note on a pink slip of paper that he left in his shoebox. Along with the shoes he only wore once. The note explained everything."

Mukahi whirled around and stared at Ootori for a moment. "How the heck did you know about the note? I thought no one found out about it until today."

"I found it three days after you left, Mukahi-senpai," Ootori replied, looking as if he had been caught guilty of a crime. "I was…cleaning out the storage closet and I found it. I put it back."

"Ah?" Atobe raised his eyebrows and giving the silver-haired boy a skeptical look. "Why was Ore-sama not informed then?"

"Because…it was addressed to Oshitari-senpai. Only Oshitari-senpai was supposed to read it. I tried telling him afterwards that Mukahi-senpai had left something, but he just didn't seem like he wanted to talk," Ootori recalled. "And then he went to another school."

"So then what exactly was the reason?"

"I ran away from home," Mukahi blurted out, causing everyone's attention to turn back to him.

"Yes, we all know that. Tell us something we don't know," Atobe pressed on.

"I…I came home one day. My dad told me to come into the living room and then he told me that I'd be marrying some person. And then he locked me in my room when I told him no and then my mom helped me get out of the country." The words sounded abrupt and incoherent to Mukahi, and for a while no one said anything.

Both Atobe and Shishido had shock plastered all over their face.

Atobe's mouth was currently hanging open, and both his eyebrows were raised. He made a movement as if to say something; perhaps to tell Mukahi that it was impossible, but stopped.

Shishido's expression was even more humorous. His eyes were wide and he was giving him a look that resembled a dead fish. His mouth opened a closed a few times, but no words came out. If Mukahi hadn't known any better, he would've thought Shishido was suffering from a severe heart attack.

Niou and Oshitari, of course, both had the same expression on their faces, since they had already found out what happened. Ootori, however, still looked a bit shocked from hearing the story straight out from his senpai.

"Mukahi-san would never do such a thing," Atobe said finally. "It doesn't seem possible; he has too much pride. Why would he force you to marry someone?"

"Perhaps for some financial advantages, Atobe," Oshitari stated, crossing his arms. "To whom? You didn't specify in the note, Gakuto."

"Ishihara Kimiko."

A wave of surprised went around. "Ishihara Kimiko? Isn't she that really bitchy student council president or something?" Shishido was wincing at the thought. "She totally doesn't seem to be your type. I remember one time she asked the principal to give Atobe detention for riding a limo to school. And then she banned tennis practices at school for two weeks." He winced at the thought. "Well, anyways, she's pretty mean. I don't even know how she became president."

"Where did you go after that, ah?" Atobe questioned. "Definitely not in Europe; Ore-sama has checked before."

"Malaysia," came the reply.

Another wave a surprise came up. "Why Malaysia?" Shishido demanded.

"Because it was the safest place to be. My mom chose it; she had everything planned out."

"You could've easily gone to Ore-sama with your problems, Gakuto."

Niou, who was quiet for a time, spoke up. "You know, he was a fucking fifteen year old at the time. Who was having an arranged marriage, courtesy of his dad."

Mukahi couldn't believe himself as he watched his friends talk amongst themselves. He had finally told them. Strangely enough, though, he felt no anxiety from telling them.

He knew why he had run away in the first place. He was too scared to tell his friends, for fear of what might happen. Even in his dreams, the same scene would happen, and every single time he would run away.

Running away from it all. That's what happened every time. Even if there was a monster chasing him, he would always run away in fear. He was always the coward who ran away from it all, like it was a natural instinct.

Perhaps it was his natural instinct of running away from nightmares that caused him to run away from home. All he did was leave a note. That was all.

He looked at Oshitari, who was calmly watching his teammates shoot questions back and forth at each other. The tensai looked back at him, and gave him a quick nod.E waHe

What really puzzled him was why Oshitari had tried finding clues to his disappearance.

"_I'm deeply sorry for not meeting your expectations, Gakuto, but quite frankly, I don't really care about the reason on why you left."_

"Mukahi-senpai? Where have you been staying now? Did you go back to your parents?" Ootori asked.

Mukahi was snapped back into reality. "I got my own place for a while, but then I moved into one of the dorms," he answered. "My dad doesn't know. I think my mom found out, though, since the principal called my mom asking about the signatures on my forms or something. He found out I forged them."

"Wait." Shishido was frowning. "So you transferred out of our school and went here because you found out Ishihara went to our school?"

"Pretty much," he admitted. "I got freaked out on the first day of school; she came to our class making a speech about something. I thought she almost recognized me for a moment."

"So then that was why you transferred schools so suddenly."

"You." Niou pointed at Oshitari, who raised an eyebrow at him. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Oshitari hesitated before finally nodding and following Niou closely behind as he led him towards the direction of the locker rooms.

"Wonder what that's all about," Shishido muttered, shaking his head.

"I bet he's pissed off at Yuushi for taking away his doubles partner," Mukahi commented, making a face. "He's probably going to start yelling at him any minute."

"What do you mean 'taking away his doubles partner'? Aren't Niou and Yagyuu still doubles partners?" Shishido demanded.

"…"

…

Niou was tapping his foot on the ground, his arms crossed. "Okay, I'll get straight to the point. I want my old partner back."

Oshitari just gave him a questioning look.

Niou huffed and scowled. "Well you seem okay with talking to Mukahi again, so why not? Besides, I don't like it when he jumps around the court. You seem more used to it, at least."

Oshitari still had the same questioning look on his face. "He can't play tennis anymore, though. So there really isn't any point."

"He seems capable of learning with his right arm. And he seems happier with you, anyways. Of course, if you insist, then I guess I can't really force you to change partners."

"I never had an interest with being Yagyuu's doubles partner in the first place," Oshitari stated.

Niou stared at him. And stared, and stared.

If Oshitari was Fuji Syusuke of Seigaku, he would've whipped out a camera and taken a picture of the silver-haired boy right then and there. Of course, he wasn't anything like Fuji, so he just stared back.

Niou looked as if he would never stop staring. Oshitari sighed. "If you really want to know, the whole relationship and partnership were just an act."

Niou just wouldn't stop staring.

"It was the perfect setup. And who says you're the only one who's allowed to play a prank on the school? Yagyuu has a few tricks that he learned from you, and he was more than happy to use them."

"Yagyuu would never play a trick like that." Niou gave him an accusing look. "Or are you the one who's tricking me?"

"I would have no interest in playing a trick on you. It's not my thing."

"Then why did you go with Yagyuu's trick then?" Niou demanded. "Why would he want to play a prank like that? And he even stopped playing doubles with me."

"At first he was to protect the friendship you and he had," Oshitari answered wryly. "But ironically, the friendship crumbled, didn't it?"

"Then what's the reason?"

"He has not told me the reason, but I have a guess."

Niou gave him a skeptical look. "Care to tell me?"

Oshitari raised an eyebrow again. "It would be better if it came from him. And to answer your previous question, I did it out of boredom." He turned around and started heading back to the tennis courts, before turning around again. "Oh, and one more thing. If Gakuto chooses to quit the team, so be it. I shall quit as well, if that's the case."

Niou snorted. "So, can I have my doubles partner back?"

"As long as you talk to him, it's fine with me." With that, Oshitari left.

Great. Now all he had to do was talk to Yagyuu.

* * *

Please let me know what you thought of Chapter 6!!


	7. Unexpected

Woot, Chapter seven!

I think it's just one more chapter that I need to write. And then that's it. XD

* * *

Oshitari wondered what he was to do next as he walked back amongst his group of friends.

He was one of the first to find out, excluding Ootori. Even so, he had only known a few hours in advance, before the rest of his friends had found out. The news was still quite a shock when it came from Mukahi's own mouth.

He knew Atobe was steaming mad at himself with the fact that he had only bothered to search Europe and America. Honestly, even Oshitari hadn't considered the possibility that Mukahi would end up in Malaysia, of all places. It was so close to Japan, and yet it seemed so far away. In those three years, no one would've thought someone they knew would end up living in Malaysia.

It had been three years. Oshitari had spent three years trying to contact Mukahi. He has spent three years endlessly searching anywhere he could think of, hoping that Mukahi would turn up again. He had spent three years constantly pestering Atobe; asking him if he had any clues at all as to where Mukahi might have end up.

It seemed slightly unusual how much Oshitari's mind was constantly on his doubles partner; how he had gone through days without even knowing what he was really doing. He had felt like a walking zombie. His parents had expressed their disapproval and sent him to another high school, thinking that would help him.

That was where he had met Yagyuu. At the time he hadn't really known Yagyuu that well, but somehow they began talking to each other.

And it was at that time that Yagyuu proposed a plan.

"_Oshitari-kun, I have been thinking," Yagyuu said as he split his chopsticks. It was lunch time, and Yagyuu for some reason had decided to sit at Oshitari's table._

"_Oh? About what?" Oshitari inquired at he opened his bento lid._

"_Would you like to play a game with me?"_

_Oshitari paused, chopsticks in mid-air. "As in a tennis game? Sorry, but I'm not interested in those sort of things at the moment."_

_Yagyuu shook his head. "No, it's not about tennis. It has something pertaining to real life."_

_Oshitari raised his eyebrows, his bento completely forgotten. "About…?"_

"_I need you to do a favor for me. Nothing too drastic, believe me."_

Nothing too drastic indeed, Oshitari scoffed to himself. At first he didn't get why he had to act with Yagyuu and pretend they were going out, but at least it had been something to distract him from Mukahi. For a while, at least.

It was only until later that he found out the real reason Yagyuu wanted to play this game.

"_Yagyuu, I want to know _why_," a muffled voice cried out._

_Oshitari was standing outside a classroom, listening to Yagyuu and Niou's conversation._

"_Niou-kun, I'm sorry."_

"_Sorry isn't enough!" Niou shouted. "You can't just randomly go up to Yukimura and break up our partnership without telling me! You can't just expect me to accept your apology after what you just did!"_

"_Niou-kun, I wanted us to continue being friends…"_

"_I don't get how being friends has anything to do with this! What's your problem? If you wanted to be with your beloved boyfriend you could've just told me; I would've understood! Don't you trust me?!"_

"_Niou-kun-"_

"_That's it. I've had enough. You've really pissed me off, you know that?" Niou slid the classroom door open and caught sight of Oshitari. Giving him a glare, he turned the other direction and walked away._

_Oshitari saw Yagyuu staring after him, hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides. All they could do was stare at each other for a few moments. "At least the act worked, didn't it?" Yagyuu finally breathed out._

_A little while later Niou came back and brushed past Oshitari. "Ah, Niou, why are you-" Oshitari started to say, but was cut off by another glare from Niou._

"_What, am I not allowed to walk in the wrong direction?!" Niou spat out._

_If it had been any other time, Oshitari might have even laughed aloud by this comment. He had suddenly understood why this game was to be played._

_However, the game had failed, in the worst possible way._

As he continued walking, he caught sight of Mukahi yelling at Shishido. Alarmed at first, he was about to quicken his pace until he saw that they had burst out laughing, Ootori smiling from behind.

The laughter died out as Oshitari approached their group. Mukahi gave him a sideways glance before averting his gaze to another direction.

Atobe gave a small cough. "Well, Ore-sama shall be going back now. Shishido, Ootori, do any you need a ride?"

"Atobe, we're good. You know how I hate your stupid driver; he keeps on rolling down the windows every five seconds," Shishido answered, making a face. "I think I'll just walk.

"Are you sure?" Atobe gave him a frown.

Ootori nudged Shishido, and whispered something into his ear. Shishido frowned for a moment, then his features brightened up. "Actually, I just remembered, my mom wants me to do some chores for her, so I need to get back early."

"Then all is settled." Atobe nodded. "We'll be leaving you two alone, then. I'll call my driver." With that, he walked away, Shishido and Ootori following close behind.

Mukahi's gaze was still on their retreating backs. "Chores? He _never_ does any chores. What the heck?"

"It was probably just an excuse to get away. Atobe must be planning something."

Mukahi gave him a startled expression, as if he had forgotten Oshitari was there at all. "Um, yeah, maybe Atobe's going to give him laps or something."

"Gakuto, why did you leave that note in your old shoe box?" Oshitari asked, getting straight to the point. "Were you expecting someone would find it?"

Mukahi looked down at his hands and cleared his throat. "No, not really. I guess…I guess I just put it there just so I wouldn't feel guilty. I didn't want it to seem like I had left without telling anybody, you know? So I left it there, and I kept telling myself that I hadn't left without a trace. I kept telling myself I had given a reason."

"I see." It seemed the only thing Oshitari could say.

"Honestly though, I'm really sorry I didn't bother to tell any of you guys," Mukahi blurted out. "I guess…I was just panicking too much or something. Maybe I thought nothing would change in the end; that it would've made no difference. I just didn't want to involve anyone with it, and I probably wouldn't have been able to leave if I tried saying goodbye."

Oshitari stayed silent.

"You're…not mad at me, are you?" Mukahi was now looking at him with a worried expression. "I mean, I guess it's okay if you're mad at me or something, since I didn't even tell you, and we're like, best of friends and stuff. I mean, just…I don't want you to keep on ignoring me or something."

The silence that followed these words seemed deafening to Oshitari's ears. He couldn't think of anything that he could say. No, he knew what he wanted to say, but he just couldn't sort through the jumbled thoughts that were scrambling around in his mind.

"I have…one question, though," Mukahi continued, looking up at Oshitari. "What did you mean by…not caring about the reason why I left?"

Oshitari paused, at first not quite remembering when he had said those particular words. Then he suddenly remembered. "Oh." He let out a small laugh. "I didn't mean it that way, really. What I was trying to say was…that the reason really didn't matter. I was just happy you came back, that's all."

Mukahi looked surprised, and maybe even a bit hopeful. "So…you're not mad at me?"

Oshitari thought a moment before responding. "I think I was a bit angry with you at first, since I didn't understand why you had to leave so suddenly and abruptly. No one knew where you had gone, and I probably felt a bit betrayed by you. Then I realized after a while that you probably had a good reason for leaving."

"Oh," was all that Mukahi said.

Another silent enveloped them. Oshitari knew, that after three years, having at least one decent conversation wouldn't be easy. Right now, only one thing was on his mind. "Gakuto, is your arm really okay?"

Mukahi gave him another surprised look, and shrugged. "Well, I can't really raise it that well, and it's really weak. I guess it's fine; it doesn't really hurt, but I just can't _use_ it."

"You know, you can still play tennis. You still have your right arm."

Mukahi nodded. "That's true. I can still use my right hand. But you know, I'm starting to think I'm not really the best acrobatics tennis player over here."

Oshitari hoped he had heard incorrectly. Mukahi would _never_ say those words; being the best acrobatics tennis player was important to him, and he was always so confident that he would be the best. "Why do you say that? What does your arm have to do with that?"

"I think…a really good acrobatics player would be able to adapt to having a disabled arm," Mukahi explained. "Like…I should be able to flip upside down and hit a tennis ball that way, if I can't raise it up or something."

"Gakuto…"

"It seems kind of weird to come back, you know? Like, it seems like nothing's changed, but everything's changed. You're not going to the same school as Atobe and Shishido and the rest of them. Marui's steady with Jirou, and they seem pretty happy. And you're at this school now, playing doubles with Yagyuu. And…" Mukahi left the last thought unsaid, knowing that Oshitari would know exactly what he meant.

Oshitari felt he needed some serious explaining to do. Things were just all too jumbled up right now. "Actually, Gakuto, we're not really going out."

Mukahi's eyes widened. "Wait, but Niou told me you guys were…"

"Niou was obviously ill-informed, then," Oshitari said, shrugging and crossing his arms. "Actually, I think everyone was ill-informed. It was just an act, really."

"Wait, why?" Mukahi seemed even more confused. "Why would you two _act_ like you guys were going out? I mean, what was the point?"

"I had considered that question as well," Oshitari responded. "I never really got why Yagyuu asked me to play this game, until a few weeks later when Niou got angry at him."

Mukahi didn't say anything; he just waited for Oshitari to continue talking.

"He was doing it to protect his friendship with Niou," he finally explained. He was about to go on, but Mukahi stopped him.

"He was doing it because Yagyuu didn't want Niou to know he had fallen in love with him," Mukahi finished, looking awed. "But his plan backfired; when Niou found out Yagyuu didn't want to be doubles partners anymore, Niou got pissed at him and didn't want to talk to him anymore. Their sense of trust was broken."

Oshitari nodded.

"But what about you?" Mukahi asked, picking up his racket and standing up from his seat on the bench. "Why did you want to play the game Yagyuu had set up?"

"It was a distraction," Oshitari answered. "Because you had left, and nothing else really mattered to me anymore."

There, he had finally said it.

Without Mukahi there right beside him, nothing in life really mattered to Oshitari. Not even tennis, because tennis wouldn't be complete without his doubles partner right by his side.

Mukahi looked as if he was didn't really know how to respond to Oshitari's latest comment.

The only thing that was going through Mukahi at that moment was a wave of concern. What had his old doubles partner been doing all this time while he had been gone? He had been gone for three years, and he had no idea how Oshitari had lived his life for those three years. "You didn't do anything drastic, did you?" he finally asked. "Like, you didn't try to jump off a bridge or anything, right?"

Oshitari let out a laugh. "No, of course not. Life was just boring for me; I really don't remember what I was doing at that time. Sleep, wake up, eat, go to school, play tennis, and then come home to eat dinner and do my homework. It was the same routine every single day. Of course, after a while, I started rooming with Yagyuu, but other than that, there really wasn't any change."

Mukahi breathed out a sigh of relief. "As long as you're not going suicidal or anything…I kind of noticed though. You had like, this really scary dull look in your eyes. Seriously, I thought you were a zombie for a moment."

"It figures. I literally _felt_ like a zombie."

Mukahi laughed, and he felt it was the first time in ages that he could truly feel relaxed. He felt like there was nothing in the world that could worry him now; nothing to give him anxiety or stress. Of course, in the back of his mind, he knew all of this was not true; there was still a problem to be fixed.

Oshitari seemed to know this as well. "Gakuto, what are you going to do with your parents? I mean, your father is probably going insane just trying to look for you, and your mother's probably worried sick right now and praying you aren't found. Someone's going to notice you're here, and they'll probably tell your father right away."

Mukahi sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to do right now. I don't know if I should just keep on continuing with the way things are right now, or if I should just go to my parent's house right now and knock on their front door. Maybe I should go and say 'hey, guess what dad, you suck, so I'm not listening to you' or something weird like that. Even though it doesn't really seem like a good idea, I guess it's better than sitting around doing nothing. What do you think, Yuushi?"

Oshitari moved closer and took Mukahi by the shoulders. "Gakuto, honestly, I don't think you can run away forever. Your father has strong connections; someone might be telling him right this minute that they spotted you from somewhere. I have no idea how you managed to live in Malaysia all this time without your father finding out."

"So you're saying I should go to him and tell him to like, fuck off or something?"

Oshitari nodded. "Don't worry, if anything happens, I'm sure Atobe can hide you somewhere. I'll be here as well to help. You have all of us looking out for you now, so you can stop worrying."

"You'll come with me though, right? To my parents' home, I mean."

Oshitari smiled again. "Of course. I can't be _that_ lousy of a secret admirer, right?"

…

Niou decided that for the first time in his life, he hated doors.

He had been knocking on Yagyuu's dorm door for about five minutes when suddenly the latter had opened the door so suddenly it had hit Niou in the face. The purple-haired boy had apologized, of course, but Niou's face was still stinging, and he was grumbling to himself as he held an ice pack to his cheek. "What took you so long, anyway?" he demanded.

"I had my hands full with my calculus project," Yagyuu answered, pointing to his design that was currently on his table. "One of the needles had fallen out and if I didn't fix it in time the whole thing would've collapsed."

"Then next time try putting in more needles so it doesn't like, die or something," Niou muttered.

"I have considered that option, but unfortunately-"

"Forget I said anything," Niou interjected. "I don't understand a thing about advanced calculus, so don't even bother."

"But I'm just explaining about structure-" Yagyuu began again.

"Okay, fine, I don't understand about construction or physics." Niou winced. "I hate doors."

"Ah, Niou, if you had no doors you wouldn't be able to get out of buildings," Yagyuu said, cutting up a piece of cardboard. "You'd be stuck in one place for the rest of your life."

"Whatever, fine, I hate wood." Niou rolled his eyes. "You don't really need to be so observational about everything, you know."

"I now observe that you have something important to tell me, otherwise you wouldn't have knocked on my door in the first place," Yagyuu replied, picking up his glue.

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to be my doubles partner again," Niou explained offhandedly. "I mean, I already asked Oshitari about it and he started ranting about asking you or something, even though I don't think he has a problem with it. He started ranting about your reason for ditching me, too, but he didn't really tell me the whole story."

Yagyuu almost dropped his scissors. "Did he tell you anything special?"

"Yeah, something real special." Niou rolled his eyes again. "He told me to ask _you_ about your reason, since he has no right to tell me or something. And plus he doesn't even know for sure, he just has a hunch."

Yagyuu remained silent.

"Oh, and by the way, if you refuse to tell me I'm never talking to you ever again."

Yagyuu raised an eyebrow. "So now you're threatening me?"

"Something like it," Niou admitted. "But fuck, I think I should get a reason. Think of it as a repayment for making me so pissed."

Yagyuu sighed. "Niou-kun, you might not like the reason at all. You might even start to hate me for it."

"Well it's not like it's going to kill you."

"As a matter of fact, Niou-kun, your reaction just _might_ kill me. It just might." the bespectacled boy picked up his scissors again. "Give me a few minutes. I need to think." This was not a request, but rather an order.

"At least it can't be as bad as me ignoring you forever," Niou grumbled. Yagyuu made no comment, instead snipping away at various objects.

Five minutes passed…

Ten…

Fifteen…

By now Niou felt like he was going to die if he continued staring at Yagyuu messing around with papers and cotton balls. He was about to open his mouth and start talking when finally, Yagyuu put down his supplies that he was working with.

He sighed. "The truth is, Niou-kun, it was all an act. We were never really going out."

Niou just stared at him.

He sighed again. "It was an act merely to keep my friendship with you. However, my plan backfired, and unfortunately you stopped talking to me because I didn't tell you that I requested a change in the line-up."

"Why did you think our friendship wouldn't last if we continued playing doubles together?" Niou demanded. "I mean, there's nothing _wrong_ with playing doubles together, is there?"

"No, there isn't," Yagyuu admitted. "However, I was afraid sooner or later my mask would be penetrated."

Niou was about to ask what mask he was even talking about, but Yagyuu interrupted him. "You are the only one who I've told besides Yukimura-buchou."

"_I don't understand why you're just going to mess up our line-up this way," Yukimura exclaimed, looking confused. "Why don't you want to be doubles partners with Niou anymore? You've been playing doubles with him for such a long time now, what's your reason? You two are good friends, and you've been successful together. Did you two get into an argument?"_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I'm not going to change the line-up unless I get a decent reason," Yukimura said, crossing his arms. "If it's just a simple argument, I'm sure you two can resolve it."_

"_It is not that. It is only that I am afraid something will happen."_

"_What?"_

_Yagyuu took in a deep breath, and faced his ever stubborn captain. "If…Niou-kun realizes I have been secretly admiring him from afar, he will start to hate me. You understand now, don't you? So please, fulfill my request."_

_Yukimura's eyes widened. "He would never hate you."_

"_There is no evidence to say that he would never hate me if he found out."_

_His captain gave him a calculating look before sighing and nodding. "Very well, I will honor your request. However, if it becomes a regret, I am not to be held responsible."_

"_Thank you, buchou."_

"It is because I have liked you ever since we started playing doubles together. Do you understand now? I didn't want you to hate me because of finding this out, so I lied to everyone."

* * *

Shocking revelations. Two of them.

Please tell me what you thought of chapter seven!


	8. END

_This is the last chapter. I had loads of fun writing this story, and I hoped everyone enjoyed it. Many thanks to everyone who read and reviewed; I really appreciate it!_

* * *

"So this is it," Mukahi finally said as he and Oshitari walked up to the Mukahi home.

Oshitari gave Mukahi's hand a slight squeeze.

Mukahi took in a deep breath. "I just hope he doesn't try killing me. I mean, I _really_ don't want to go through a marriage, especially with a crazy, psycho, insane lunatic who's a control freak and even scares Atobe half to death."

"You know that's not true. Ishihara-san is decent girl," Oshitari reprimanded him.

"…You're lying, right?"

"Yes, I am, but you shouldn't call people such bad names; it's uncouth. I'm starting to think Niou's habits have rubbed off on you."

"I think I'm more worried about what's going to happen once I go through the front door," Mukahi replied. He grabbed onto Oshitari's arm. "Stay with me, won't you?"

"Of course."

Mukahi hesitated for only a moment before raising his arm up and knocking on the door. The door was opened immediately, and Mukahi's mother stood their for a moment, staring in shock. Her hand was still on the doorknob, and she stood there, unblinking.

"I'm…home," Mukahi said hesitantly. His mother suddenly pulled him into an embrace, and there was a mist forming around her eyes.

"Gakuto, you're back," she whispered. "You came back. Oh, but you're not supposed to come back right now! It's too dangerous; your father is going to find out. You'd better go back to your school dorm before he sees you."

"I'm not going back," Mukahi declared. "At least, not yet. Mother, I'm going to confront him about the marriage. I'm not doing it."

His mother stared at him. "I know you're not going to do it, but confront him? I think you'd do better if you continued avoiding him. Oh, why didn't you stay in Malaysia? When I got a call from the school I almost had a heart attack; why did you come back to Japan?"

"I came back because I realized there was someone that I didn't want to leave; someone that I just couldn't leave behind," Mukahi explained, glancing at Oshitari.

"But…confronting him?" His mother was still protesting. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You know how your father is."

"I have to," Mukahi argued. "Because I want to stay in Japan. He's going to find out sooner or later anyway, since he's probably going around the world looking for me. I don't want to run away again."

"But what are you going to say to him?"

"I…haven't really thought of that yet. I'm sure I'll come up with something once I see him."

His mother sighed, knowing full well he was too stubborn for her to argue with. "Very well." She opened the door a little wider to allow her son and his friend come in. She led them through a passage before they came into the living room, where Mukahi's father was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. He seemed to have not noticed the new occupants of the room.

Mukahi marched up to him, with Oshitari following close behind. His mother watched from afar, not daring to get too close.

His father still hadn't noticed them. Mukahi stood there patiently, tapping his foot. Apparently his father was too engrossed in his newspaper readings to pay attention to his surroundings.

Five minutes passed. Mukahi's father still made no move to suggest that he had seen them. Mukahi was beginning to wonder if his father was just doing this on purpose, or if he really was just _that_ unaware of what was going on around him. Finally, though, his father looked as if he had gotten tired of reading and folded his newspaper up. At least, he tried to. Catching sight of Mukahi standing right in front of him, arms crossed, his mouth formed a small 'o'. He then frowned, and anger flashed in his eyes. "How dare you show your face to me!" he seethed, glaring at his son.

Mukahi blinked. "Um, I'm here to tell you that the marriage is off."

"I _know_ the marriage is off; do I look stupid to you?! It's been off for two and a half years already, all because _you_ decided to run away, escaping your duty!" his father barked, slamming his hand down on the coffee table. "Oh, to be sure, I looked everywhere for you for the first six months, but apparently I was too late. Ishihara Kimiko's father informed me that he wanted to call off the arranged marriage, and all because _you_ had the guts to run away from this household!"

Now it was Mukahi's time to look shocked. He turned to his mother. "Did you know anything about this?"

His mother shook her head, equally awed. "This is the first time I've heard of it."

His father snorted. "Of course it's the first time you've heard of it; why would I tell _you_ of all people?"

She winced at this comment.

Oshitari coughed a little, clearly disliking Mukahi's father's rude statements.

Mukahi's father seemed to only just now realize that Oshitari was even there at all. He raised his eyebrows. "Ah, so this little pest has brought a friend with him now, has he? He must've told you I was a evil little devil, wasn't I?" He laughed. "Well, of course, _he_ was the one who caused this whole mess. Now my pride has taken a heavy toll, all because of my son running away. _You_ wouldn't know how it feels like to struggle in a society where everyone looks down at you."

"You should not be mad that your son ran away to avoid an arranged marriage with whom he didn't even know, or like, for that matter," Oshitari answered him. "In fact, Gakuto has every right to be angry with you for planning this arrangement."

"Every right to be angry at me, eh?" The middle-aged man shook his head and laughed. "You teenagers are always the same. Always so concerned about your own rights that you never give a damn for what adults feel. I'm telling you, once you're around my age and have kids you'll know that what I tried to do was the right thing."

"What was your motive for marrying Gakuto off?" Oshitari demanded.

"You're a smart boy, you should have been able to guess the reason," he said, chuckling to himself. "Ah, it was a perfect plan. At least, until my son ruined it for us all." He gave another chuckle. "The Ishihara family has an incredible amount of businesses, and to my knowledge they have obscene amounts of money. When they notified me that their daughter had taken an interest to _my_ son, of course I readily agreed to their suggestions for an arranged marriage. I mean, who wouldn't? This was a financial gain that I was looking forward to!"

"She didn't even _know_ me!" Mukahi exclaimed, looking confused. "How did their daughter 'take an interest in me' when she didn't even know who I was?!"

"Oh, to be sure, she knew you alright," his father answered him. "She must've seen you during one of your petty tennis matches. Even though I've never agreed with you playing tennis and wasting your time out on the courts, it certainly had been a help on my part. She must've come to every game you played once she'd seen you." He paused. "All that's in the past now. I've gone back to my little corner, just reading newspapers everyday and wasting my life out. It certainly is boring, but I have nothing left to do. I'm growing old, and I've all but given up on you. You're nothing but a disappointment, anyway," he spat out. "Now be off with you. I never want to see you in this household ever again."

Mukahi was about to open his mouth again and ask another question, but his mother had come up to them and was tugging at her son's sleeve. Reluctantly, both of them followed his mother out of the house.

Once they were outside, his mother sighed. "At least it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," she said. "At least he didn't threaten to lock you inside the house. Now, you both best be going, before he changes his mind."

"What about you?" Mukahi asked, taking his mother's hand. "You can't just stay here with that creepy maniac."

His mother shook her head. "Your father is growing old, and I must take care of him, regardless of how terrible he is. Don't worry, I'll be fine; it's you that I'm most worried about."

"But-"

"No buts," she said firmly. "You'll be going to a university and taking a dorm there soon, and I'm sure you'll have a splendid time with your friends. You're all grown up now, so you should be off on your own. I have a responsibility now, and so do you." She smiled. "Be happy, alright? Keep your friends close to you; it's the main reason why you even came back in the first place."

Mukahi gave a reluctant nod, letting go of his mother's hand. "I'll come visit, at least. Call me and tell me when my dad's not around, okay?"

His mother agreed, and with that, he and Oshitari began walking back to school.

…

"You see?" Yagyuu shook his head. "I told you that you wouldn't like the results, but you never listened."

_No, that's not true_.

"You understand now, right? I believe you _do_ understand, given your expression."

"You're stupid," Niou finally said, grabbing a pillow off the bed and throwing it at Yagyuu. "You're just plain stupid."

Yagyuu didn't say anything; he merely proceeded to throw the pillow back at him.

Niou threw the pillow back at Yagyuu angrily.

"Niou, if you think throwing pillows at me constantly is going to change anything, you're mistaken."

"I have a right to be angry with you, you know," Niou said, now just inches away from Yagyuu. "You know I absolutely _hate_ it when people jump to conclusions. And therefore, that means I should hate you as well."

Yagyuu sighed and closed his eyes. "I knew it."

Niou could tell Yagyuu was going to go into something further, but he interrupted him anyway, planting a kiss firmly onto his lips. After a few moments, he gave a satisfied smirk. "Gotcha."

_Who says a trickster can't love?_

…

"I almost forgot how much I hated Atobe's stupid meetings," Mukahi muttered, giving a little shudder. "If he starts ranting about himself _again_ I think I might as well kill myself."

"Ah, and if you do that, you'll have a _very_ avid follower," Atobe warned. "Ore-sama does not want to go through the trouble of having lost teammates _again_."

Mukahi was hugging onto Oshitari's arm while he glared at Atobe. "He wouldn't. I already made him promise me that."

"Gakuto, I only promised that because you agreed that you wouldn't do anything drastic such as running away again. If you betray me and commit suicide, I'm not so sure if I can keep that promise."

"So, what's this meeting for, anyway?"

Shishido rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? Atobe's going to have your head for not coming to us sooner, that's what."

"Shishido-san!" Ootori reprimanded.

"Gekokujou."

"…That totally wasn't the right time," Shishido grumbled.

"SUGOI! So that means his 'gekokujouing' timing is off, right?!" Jirou was bouncing on Atobe's couch happily.

"I think I gave him way too much cake today," Marui muttered, shaking his head. "Why am I here, anyway? I thought this was like, a Hyoutei reunion party or something."

"Ah." Atobe gave a nod. "Well, since Jirou obviously dragged you all the way here, Ore-sama can't possibly just kick you out now."

Oshitari raised an eyebrow. "Atobe, is this _really_ a reunion party?"

Atobe gave him a frown. "Well, since Gakuto here _obviously_ has come back, it wouldn't do very well if we didn't welcome him. Of course, it seems you've already welcomed him back with your own ways."

"…"

"Why do I feel like it just suddenly got quieter?" Marui asked, blinking.

"…Wait, did he really-?!"

"Really what?" Mukahi demanded.

"Ignore them, Gakuto, they just have strange minds," Oshitari whispered to him.

Atobe coughed. "Well, it seems Ore-sama's comment was taken slightly out of hand. Today, however, we will…"

His friends were weird.

However, if they weren't as weird as they were, Mukahi might have not come back at all.

END


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